Koalas enjoy first class amenities on Qantas jet

BRISBANE, Australia, April 14 (UPI) -- Australian airline Qantas shared pictures showing a quartet of Singapore-bound marsupials enjoying a high koala-ty of service in first class.

The koalas, named Paddle, Pellita, Chan and Idalia, hopped a Qantas flight from Brisbane to Singapore, where they will spend six months on loan, and the airline shared pictures of the animals being pampered with fresh gum leaves and offers of beverages and hot towels.

The koalas will be in quarantine in Singapore until May, when they will go on display at the Singapore Zoo to celebrate the country's 50th anniversary of independence from Britain.

Qantas revealed the life of luxury was short-lived for the four koalas -- they were downgraded to accommodations in the cargo hold after posing for the pictures shared by the airline Monday.

"The loan comes at a special moment for Singapore as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of our independence, and as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Singapore and Australia" Singapore Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam told The Straits Times. "Australia's decision to entrust four of its cherished national icons to Singapore underscores the deep friendship between both countries."