Updated.
February 08, 2020 01: 14:38
A 2nd Qantas flight that was set to get here in the Chinese city of Wuhan on Friday has actually been postponed, with hundreds of Australians waiting to be left from the coronavirus epicentre.
Bottom line:
- Melbourne instructor Hui Qiu and his family will be on the evacuation flight that was set to leave on Friday but has actually been pushed back by at least a day
- His partner and children ended up being trapped in Wuhan after the lockdown statement
- He was in a neighbouring city at the time, which also went into lockdown
The more than 300 Australians who stay caught in the locked-down city were asked to register interest in a possible 3rd assisted departure flight previously today.
A few of those still stuck in Wuhan were told they had a seat reserved on the Qantas flight set to depart later on that day, based on approval from Chinese authorities, however that evacuation was delayed.
An email from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) was sent to passengers informing them that official clearance for the flight had not been protected.
The e-mail informed passengers to go back to where they were staying and await more info as DFAT dealt with Chinese authorities to