Almost 200 Australians extracted from Cambodia amid the coronavirus pandemic have touched down in Sydney after a specially-organised flight from Phnom Penh.
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The Singapore Airlines flight touched down on Monday after 6am, with the 164 Australian citizens and 20 permanent residents and family members on board set for 14 days of mandatory self-isolation in a Sydney hotel.
The flight left Phnom Penh on Sunday night, stopping over in Singapore.
The Australian embassy in Cambodia said in a statement on Sunday that the flight was arranged as regular commercial options "were drying up fast".
"We decided to facilitate this one-off non-scheduled flight to a transit country which then connected to a scheduled flight on the same plane to Sydney," the embassy said.
"Passengers paid for economy and business seats."
The passengers were met by a heavy police and military presence at Sydney Airport and transported by bus directly to their hotel.
Cambodia has been criticised for its slow response to the coronavirus pandemic, however Prime Minister Hun Sen last week cancelled this week's annual three-day Khmer New Year celebrations as fears mount.
About 122 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed to date in Cambodia.
Heavy travel restrictions were also imposed last week between Cambodian provinces, with Australians living in the countryside told to urgently travel to Phnom Penh.
The embassy said it took "a lot of work to make this happen", adding it would help relieve pressure on Cambodia's healthcare system as cases rise.
"Great to have been able to help Aussies reconnect with loved ones back home through this flight," ambassador Pablo Kang wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
Australian Associated Press