A returned traveller has arrived in Melbourne to see her dying father after being granted an exemption to leave hotel quarantine in Sydney.
Anna Coffey, 32, flew to Sydney from New York last week after her 80-year-old father John suffered a stroke and went into palliative care in a Melbourne hospital.
Ms Coffey, who is fully vaccinated and has tested negative to COVID-19, needed to get exemptions from NSW and Victoria health departments and was told she would have to pay up to $8000 for the charter flight to Melbourne.
But Angel Flight Australia, a charity involved in coordinating non-emergency medical flights, came to her rescue in a plan ticked off on Tuesday night.
Chief executive Marjorie Pagani said Ms Coffey flew from Bankstown Airport to Essendon Airport on Wednesday afternoon and was immediately taken to see her father.
Angel Flight Australia orchestrates about 50 compassionate flights a year, many reuniting parents with sick children.
Although it's the other way around in this case, Ms Pagani immediately recognised she fit the criteria to be offered a compassionate flight.
"This young lady has already spent a fortune getting home to Australia and then to be asked to find another $7000 to $8000 is a lot," she said.
"There aren't many people that can charter a flight on a private matter. We have pilots standing by all the time to do compassionate flights.
"I'm so glad we could help out and get it done so quickly."
Ms Coffey will even be offered a return flight should she need it.
"At this stage, she's just keen on getting there and seeing her dad. Things could turn worse," Ms Pagani said.
"As soon as she's ready, she can let us know where she wants to go after that."
Ms Coffey had feared she would not make it to Melbourne in time to be reunited with John if she was forced to complete the required 14 days in Sydney quarantine.
Last week, US citizen Mark Kilian was reunited with his dying father at a Gold Coast hospital after spending eight days in quarantine and hiring a $15,000 chartered jet to fly up from Sydney.
