An Australian pilot will be surrendered to the United States as early as next week after the federal government approved the extradition of the former US Marine pilot to face charges over allegedly training Chinese fighter pilots.

Daniel Duggan, who has been in maximum security prison in Australia for more than two years fighting his extradition, will be handed over to American authorities in the early part of 2025. In a statement, his family said they were “devastated” at the decision after the attorney general, Mark Dreyfus, on Monday confirmed he had approved Duggan’s extradition to the US.

“Acknowledging the public interest in this matter, I confirm that on 19 December 2024 I determined under section 22 of the Extradition Act 1988 (Cth) that Daniel Duggan should be extradited to the United States to face prosecution for the offences of which he is accused,” Dreyfus said in a statement.

“Mr Duggan was given the opportunity to provide representations as to why he should not be surrendered to the United States. In arriving at my decision, I took into consideration all material in front of me.”

The US has sought the extradition of Duggan, 55, on charges of arms trafficking and money laundering arising from his alleged training of Chinese fighter pilots more than a decade ago. The allegations have not been tested in court.

A US indictment alleges he taught Chinese fighter pilots to land jets on aircraft carriers – known as “carrier-arrested landings” – in defiance of arms trafficking laws. The indictment details payments Duggan allegedly received in 2011 and 2012 for training Chinese fighter pilots at a test flight academy “based in South Africa, with a presence in the People’s Republic of China”.

The father of six – whose children are aged between six and 18 and are all Australian citizens – faces a potential 60-year prison term if convicted in the US.

“We are shocked and absolutely heartbroken by this callous and inhumane decision which has been delivered just before Christmas with no explanation or justification from the government,” Duggan’s wife, Saffrine, said in a statement.

The family said they received a short letter from the attorney general’s department on Friday confirming Dreyfus’ decision, which set out that Duggan would be escorted to the US sometime after 30 December and before 17 February.

Duggan’s family said they were considering their legal options, “including requesting specific reasons for the government’s decision”, which they claimed the letter did not address.

“We feel abandoned by the Australian government and deeply disappointed that they have completely failed in their duty to protect an Australian family,” Saffrine said.

“It is very difficult to explain to the children why this is happening to their father, especially now, at this time of year. We are all terrified that we may not see him for a very long time. My children are very, very sad.”

The family said Duggan maintained his innocence and denied the allegations made against him.

Dreyfus noted in his statement that Duggan was found in May by a New South Wales magistrate to be eligible for surrender to the US.

“To ensure the safety of all persons involved and to uphold the integrity of the surrender process, as a matter of longstanding practice, the Australian government does not comment on operational matters relating to extradition, including the timing of and specific arrangements for a person’s surrender,” the attorney general said.