Australians leave Abu Dhabi on Etihad evacuation flight to Melbourne on Thursday

All passengers on the flight will need to quarantine for 14 days in government-designated hotels in Australia

Etihad will now start a repatriation service to Melbourne and Amsterdam. Courtesy Etihad 

Australians in the UAE who have been trying to travel back home will leave Abu Dhabi on an Etihad evacuation flight on Thursday, April 2.

Departing Abu Dhabi International Airport at 10am, the flight will have a journey time of just over 13 hours.

"The special service will provide Australian citizens in the UAE who were unable to fly to Australia due to COVID-19 restrictions, the opportunity to travel home," said an Etihad spokesperson.

Bookings for the flight were handled by the Australian Consulate General in Dubai and closed at 10pm on April 1.

The flight is one of a few select services operating from Abu Dhabi International Airport during this time.

Fresh produce in, travellers out

"This is the second flight to Melbourne this week, with both bringing fresh produce as belly-hold cargo to the UAE," Etihad added.

Upon arrival in Melbourne, all travellers will be subject to a 14-day quarantine period in a government-designated hotel, in line with Australian procedures designed to help stem the spread of Covid-19.

In a Twitter post, the Australian Ambassador to United Arab Emirates said: "this is a one off flight and may be the last chance for you to leave the UAE for some time."

Any Australian citizens wishing to travel home are advised to get in touch with the Embassy on [e-mail] to find out more information.

Hundreds of tourists head home from the UAE

Earlier this week, hundreds of holidaymakers left the UAE from Ras al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi headed to Germany and the US.

A total 329 passengers, mostly German citizens, departed from RAK International Airport on two flights on Saturday. From Abu Dhabi, 26 American citizens left on a special flight operated by Etihad Airways to Washington DC on March 27.

Special evacuation flights do not show up on airline search engines. Tourists or residents who urgently need to return home should contact their local embassy in the Emirates.