Coronavirus: Inside Air New Zealand flight 6001 sent to evacuate New Zealanders from Wuhan

An emergency flight heading to China is just an hour away from arriving in the devastated country and one step closer to bringing our Kiwis home.

The special charter Air New Zealand flight, ANZ6001, passed over the top of Australia just before 6.30am, according to information on Flight Radar.

The aircraft left Auckland overnight and is due in Hong Kong in an hour to pick up a cabin crew before flying to Wuhan - ground zero of the deadly coronavirus outbreak - to evacuate more than 70 New Zealanders.

A number of Australian and Pacific Island citizens stuck in the city are also among those invited to board the flight, which is expected to arrive in Auckland tomorrow at 4.15pm.

The total number of people on the passenger manifest is not yet known, but the aircraft has the capacity to hold up to 300 people.

Air New Zealand's chief flight operations and safety officer, chief pilot Captain David Morgan, said they had five pilots and a standard 11-strong cabin crew involved in the operation.

"The feelings are very positive and particularly pleased to be able to be assisting these Kiwis and people from other nations in getting out of Wuhan.

"They're all volunteers and they're just very pleased on behalf of Air New Zealand to be able to do this for these people who, undoubtedly, will be keen to get out of Hubei Province."

He said the cabin crew involved are all very experienced and highly trained in regard to dealing with passengers who may be unwell.

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Although, that was considered a low risk issue given all passengers were screened twice. Anyone who is feeling unwell is not allowed to board.

The crew will be wearing masks and gloves and a special cleaning protocol for high-touch surfaces will be in place during the course of the flight.

Other than that, the flight would be as normal. Passengers will get a meal, they could watch movies and would be free to walk around the aircraft.

Asked what the mood would be like in the cockpit, in particular, Morgan summed it up in one word: "Professional."

"They've been given a task to do by the Government. We've spent four days working with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Civil Aviation to make sure that every aspect of this flight is safe - not only for the aircraft but also for the crew and, in particular, the passengers on board.

"It's a very professional approach - clear about what the task is and what success looks like.

"But underlying that, a real sense of accomplishment once we've achieved the outcome for these people."

New Zealand's move to evacuate its citizens comes as a Qantas flight sent to bring home Australians in Wuhan arrived back in Australia yesterday evening.

More than 240 people made up of citizens and permanent residents arrived at a military base in Western Australia ahead of a trip to take the evacuees to Christmas Island, where they will be quarantined for 14 days.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission.