Qantas marks historic role in Cyclone Tracy evacuations after fifty years

This Christmas Day marked the 50th anniversary of Cyclone Tracy, a devastating event that struck Darwin and the Tiwi Islands in Australia's Northern Territory. The cyclone resulted in 66 fatalities and significant damage to infrastructure. Qantas, Australia's national airline, played a crucial role in evacuating thousands of residents affected by the disaster.

Cyclone Tracy made landfall on December 24, 1974, with wind speeds reaching up to 135 miles per hour. This unexpected turn caught many residents off guard as they prepared for Christmas festivities. The cyclone left more than half of Darwin's population homeless, prompting an urgent need for evacuation.

"Over half of the city's population was evacuated by land or air," according to historical accounts. However, limited communications at Darwin International Airport restricted aircraft landings to one every 90 minutes. Despite these challenges, numerous airlines participated in evacuation efforts including Ansett Australia, Trans Australia Airlines (TAA), MacRobertson Miller Airlines (MMA), and Qantas.