Hantavirus cruise ship passengers embark on trip to Perth following stop in Netherlands
The six passengers of the MV Hondius who contracted hantavirus are finally heading to Perth, where they will arrive on Friday and begin a lengthy period in quarantine.
The flight from Eindhoven Airport in the Netherlands took off on Thursday afternoon, an hour later than Australian officials had planned, and is expected to land at RAAF Base Pearce at around 11am tomorrow.
From there the group will be transported directly to a quarantine facility in Bullsbrook, approximately 7km away, for an initial three-week quarantine period.
All six cruise passengers tested negative for hantavirus before the flight, officials said.
Their plane, which took off at around 16.30 on Thursday, is a Gulfstream G550 business jet that can reach commercial airliner speeds.
The flight to Perth includes cruise passengers, including four Australians, a UK citizen and a New Zealander, as well as medical staff.
Authorities say strict protocols are in place to protect travellers, those involved in their return and processing, and the wider Australian community.
The group were the last passengers to disembark the cruise ship in the Canary Islands on Monday.
They flew to the Netherlands, where they spent two days in hotel quarantine, while the Australian Government worked to secure a charter plane and a flight crew willing to quarantine in Perth.
Passengers and crew will be isolated at the facility for three weeks and subject to ongoing testing before an assessment is made about plans for the remainder of the 42-day incubation period.
