Australia And New Zealand Send Evacuation Flights Amid Unrest - Noumea, France - 21 May 2024
French and Australian planes stand on the tarmac on May 21, 2024 at Magenta aiport in Noumea, New Caledonia. Australia and New Zealand say they have received clearance to send planes to New Caledonia to pick up travellers stranded after unrest shut down the international airport. Australia is deploying two planes on Tuesday to evacuate some of the 300 of its citizens who have registered for assistance in the French Pacific territory. The first of "a series" of proposed flights will also leave New Zealand and bring about 50 people home, the government in Wellington said. The unrest began last week after lawmakers in Paris voted through changes that will allow more French residents to vote in local elections, a move indigenous leaders say will dilute the political influence of native people.