Australian travellers urged not to 'panic cancel' plans

Australians with travel plans are being urged not to "panic cancel" their flights amid the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

Another flight from Dubai is expected to land in Sydney on Friday, allowing previously-stranded Australians to reunite with their loved ones.

The first commercial flight to leave the region for Australia since the outbreak of the US and Israeli conflict with Iran arrived late on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday said he hoped another two flights from Dubai scheduled to leave on the same day would go ahead.

Australian Travel Industry Association chief executive Dean Long said the aviation sector was adapting, with Etihad, Emirates and some Asian carriers operating normally.

"We have flights coming out of the Middle East," Mr Long said.

"There will be some delays and a bit more disruption than what we're used to but no one in the travel industry is going to put you in a place where it's unsafe."

He urged Australians planning to travel in the coming weeks and months not to cancel their flights.

"If you're booked to travel shortly via the Middle East, it is critical that you do not panic-cancel but rather wait for your airline to cancel as otherwise you are erasing all of your rights of a refund or rebook," Mr Long said.

Aviation expert Steven Leib said airlines conducted careful risk assessments before allowing aircraft to operate in contested airspace.

"The carriers that are based there will be very eager to restart operations because of the intense impact to them, whereas foreign carriers might be much more hesitant," he said.

It could take several weeks to bring Australians home, Dr Leib said.

"If we see more stability and more repatriation flights added, that could accelerate things significantly," he said.

There are 24,000 Australians in the UAE, made up of travellers and residents, while about 115,000 are across the broader Middle East.

The federal government has deployed military assets to assist stranded Australian citizens and permanent residents.

A Royal Australian Air Force C17A Globemaster heavy transport aircraft and KC-30A multi-role tanker transport have been deployed as a precautionary measure.

Mr Albanese came under fire from the opposition after he urged Australians to heed travel advice and take up commercial options to return home.

"The government is failing to respond adequately," Liberal defence spokesman James Paterson told reporters.

"Every other nation of comparable size and civilians is either chartering aircraft or sending their military planes."

On Thursday, the New Zealand government announced it would send two defence force aircraft to repatriate its citizens.

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Ted O'Brien said military planes were used at short notice to evacuate Australians from Israel in 2025, New Caledonia in 2024 and Afghanistan in 2021.