Highlights
- Australians stuck in South America fear they could miss a repatriation flight home due to Argentine border restrictions.
- Colombian-Australian Viviana Vega has spent $6000 to return home to Perth but remains anxious about the journey ahead.
- DFAT has facilitated the return of around 56,500 Australians, including over 28,300 on 184 government-organised flights.
A repatriation flight for Australians stranded across South America has been organised by the federal government for October 5 and is set to depart from the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, to Darwin.
However, arriving in time to board the flight is posing a challenge for a number of people, due to the border restrictions of Argentina.
Argentina's borders remain closed to most non-resident foreign nationals, including Australians, and those hoping to enter must apply for a visa.
Viviana Vega, 30, is registered as a passenger for the flight after she became stranded in Colombia after visiting her family.
Despite receiving her Argentine visa and ticket a week before the flight, she tells SBS Spanish that a number of others have not.
Passengers will need to quarantine at the Howard Springs quarantine facility in Darwin. Source: AAP
"Many people have cancelled their flights due to the difficulty of entering Argentina," she says.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) tells SBS Spanish it is providing assistance to Australians outside of Argentina who require visas for entry prior to boarding, and those travelling across the region.
“We are doing everything we can to assist Australians who remain overseas to return to Australia,” a DFAT spokesperson says.
“Australian government assistance includes helping Australians access scheduled commercial flights within passenger caps and implementing a schedule of facilitated commercial flights above the existing passenger caps to maximise quarantine capacity at the Howard Springs facility [in Darwin].”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, DFAT has facilitated the return of around 56,500 Australians, including over 28,300 on 184 government-organised flights.
Flights out of South America have departed from Buenos Aires and Santiago, the Chilean capital.
"The most logical thing is [for this flight] to leave from Chile because there you can make transit and it would have been much easier and cheaper, without visas and there are many flights available to Santiago," Ms Vega says.
Given the current situation, the DFAT spokesperson says: "The government gives priority to flights where the need is greatest based on the records of Australians in vulnerable situations and the availability of commercial flight options."
Despite holding a visa to enter Argentina, Ms Vega remains anxious about the journey ahead.
"I still depend on the COVID test coming out negative and they still haven't told us if we are going to have to isolate ourselves in Argentina or if we can move," says Ms Vega, who is booked in for a test at a Buenos Aires laboratory.
The Argentine embassy in Bogota has not confirmed to us if we have to do a quarantine or isolation in the two days that I am going to be in Argentina and if I am going to be able to take the test.
An itinerary that will set a record
The flight from Buenos Aires to Darwin will set a record for the longest journey made by a Qantas aircraft.
It will be carried out non-stop and is set to travel 14,683 kilometres, taking around 18 hours.
The total cost of the trip home will cost Ms Vega around $6,000, including $2,356 for the flight which includes a transfer from Bogota to Buenos Aires.
There have been a number of flights from South America. Source: AAP
The costs include quarantine expenses at the Howard Springs centre in Darwin, plus a transfer flight home to Perth.
DFAT says it is considering repatriation flights from South America "beyond October", although it has not confirmed future dates.
