The plane is expected to arrive on Friday at an air force base in Perth, near the 500-bed quarantine facility where the six will be required to stay for at least three weeks.

Six passengers from Australia and New Zealand will be quarantined at a facility in Perth after they were stranded on a cruise ship exposed to the deadly hantavirus.

The UK, US and EU are asking all citizens returning home from the virus-hit MV Hondius to self-isolate for about six weeks.