The 1st flight was on a JAL plane with over 100 people, and it is possible all the flights (to Darwin) are JAL planes.
BTW AOC delegates/officials/relatives only fly first class internationally - no exceptions.
The athletes and teams are coming in above cap into the various capitals for quarantine. Some of the larger teams are headed to DRW (note the recent QF charter NRT-DRW).
From reports (by some of the athletes themselves) it appears the majority of athletes/trainers/physios are going to Darwin and supplanting positions for 'stranded Australians'.
"A second flight carrying about 80 athletes is expected to land at DIA next Monday." (Monday August 9)
Due to the 48 hour requirement to leave Japan - the small teams (like diving) are coming on normal commercial, not charter, flights due to the excessive cost to fly a charter plane with 18 on it. Meanwhile, that's what normal commercial flights are exactly required to do.
One positive though, is that for the commercial flights used, then these athletes/trainers/coaches etc are supposed to be in addition to the passenger cap per flight.
The 1,100 to 1,200 AOC hangers-on are going to the State run hotels (in suites perhaps). Those figures were only ever revealed in the initial AOC exclusive to the AFR ealier this year.
The smoke & mirrors about not being included in the weekly caps is meaningless when they take out rooms/beds that would have otherwise been used by returning people under the caps.
This is 100% the case for the NT facility, and for at least one Sydney '5 star' hotel, it is also the case.
However, this is not what was widely publicsed by the AOC back in May about how it would work - nor what Scott Morrison responded when asked about back in early June when he said not one bed for 'stranded Australians' will be taken.
How many repatriation flights have actually arrived in Darwin for Howard Springs over the past fortnight? Scheduled for the next week?
I may have missed some but a quick search does not reveal any.
There should be 6 per week/ 12 per fortnight to use the 2,000 person capacity.
Last from the UK arrived Saturday July 24th. Next UK flight arrives Wednesday August 11. 18 days between flights.
But it has emerged that due to Howard Springs being divided into fenced 'neighbourhoods' - each Olympic's flight takes up an entire neighbourhood even if it is only 1/3rd or 1/2 occupied (such as this Monday's flight of 80 will see).