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The first group of Australians stranded in the Middle East after war erupted in the region have been successfully repatriated to Sydney, marking the start of a complex return operation for the 115,000 travellers and ex-pats still without an escape route from the intensifying conflict.
The Australians arrived to a large media pack at the Sydney Airport arrivals hall on Wednesday night, more than 12 hours after over 200 passengers departed Dubai on Emirates flight EK414 – the first commercial flight from the Middle East to Australia since the conflict began.
It brought an end to days of panic and confusion after the Trump administration launched Operation Epic Fury against Iran on Saturday, prompting retaliatory attacks by the Islamic Republic that has seen 10 other nations across the region bombarded by military and drone strikes.
Iman Kreyam was swarmed by her family as she emerged from the arrivals gate after 11pm, with son Zafer calling her return the “happiest day in our lives”.
“It is just incredible having her back,” he said. “We just wanted to have her back, and she made it.”
Kreyam was travelling to Lebanon to visit her father, who was recently diagnosed with cancer, when the war broke out, stranding her in Dubai Airport without access to essential medication for eight hours before she was directed to a hotel.
Iman’s other son, Youssef, ran through the arrivals gate to hug his mother as she emerged. He said: “If I lost my mum, I didn’t know what I’d do.”
Alessandra Fuscaldo, an ex-pat who lived in the UAE for the past 18 months, held back tears as she recalled the “traumatic” moment when her house shook after military strikes, as the war crept towards her doorstep.
Fuscaldo, who will marry in the Hunter Valley next week, said she felt “as safe as she can be” while the region descended into conflict. She was met at the arrivals gate by her extended family, who have travelled to Sydney ahead of her nuptials.
Passengers on the flight applauded the captain and crew after landing. The staff were given another round of applause from the family and friends of the passengers as they exited the terminal.
Etihad Airways has scheduled flights to Sydney and Melbourne from Abu Dhabi on Wednesday night (Gulf time), expected to land in Australia on Thursday evening, as Emirates continues to expand services for those stranded in the UAE.
It follows talks staged by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in which Albanese raised the prompt resumption of commercial flights as the best means of removing Australians from the region.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong deployed six crisis teams to the Middle East on Wednesday to assist with repatriation efforts, while the Australian Defence Force has established a taskforce that will explore options for mass evacuations.
Roisin Smith praised the response of the airlines and UAE government after she was caught in the Middle East on the weekend, but admitted she faced an “anxious” wait as flights back to Australia were routinely cancelled.
Among the returning Australians was the robotics team from Barker College, on Sydney’s north shore. The group had been scheduled to compete in a global tournament in Istanbul before being stuck in Dubai.
Former Sunrise host David ‘Kochie’ Koch was on hand to welcome the travelling party, which included his daughter, who was watching over the students while overseas, and his young granddaughter. Koch said he was “very relieved” that his family was home.
Ryan Trevithick, a member of the team, said it was “really nice” to be back on home soil.
“We definitely had ups and downs, [a] lot of tiredness and thoughts in the back of your head with a bit of unease all the time,” Trevithick said. “Our whole group really came together as a team through this experience and supported each other a lot.”
The Emirates flight touched down hours after Israel launched fresh missile strikes at Tehran, shortly after striking Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon.
The Middle East serves as a vital corridor linking Australasia and Europe, accounting for 11 per cent of global air travel. Some 11,000 Australians transit through the region at any time, and it is used as a hub for Emirates, Virgin Australia’s partner Qatar Airways, and Etihad.
Flight Centre chief executive Graham Turner forecast further repatriation flights in the coming days, but noted it may take further time for flights to the Middle East and Europe to go ahead.
“The first stage is obviously repatriating people out of the UAE, and that’s going to take a few days assuming there’s no major disruption,” Turner said.
“It’s not bad news that Emirates is flying, quite a few flights [scheduled] for Thursday so that’s reasonably good news.”
Qatar Airways will be grounded as the nation’s airspace remains closed and flights to Australia are cancelled through Friday. An update on flights from Qatar will be provided on Thursday afternoon (AEDT).
Camille Thioulouse is among the 24,000 Australians still “in limbo” across the UAE, as successive flights to her home base in Saudi Arabia are cancelled.
She and her family have taken shelter in an Abu Dhabi hotel since the war broke out, and are now exploring plans to flee the region after Iranian drones struck the US Embassy in Riyadh, fewer than 30 minutes from their home.
“Our compound is unharmed but most people are leaving or trying to get back to their home countries in Europe,” Thioulouse said. “We are making a plan today to try and get back to Riyadh by car and cross the border, and then get to France, where my husband’s family are.”
Webjet chief executive Katrina Barry has diverted customers through travel corridors across Asia, including Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, as they seek safe passage home.
Travellers bound for Europe via the Middle East have been diverted onto fresh travel routes, including on flights to the United States to avoid the “highly dynamic” situation.
The UK government will repatriate its most vulnerable citizens in a chartered flight expected to depart Oman on Wednesday night (Gulf time), in what’s expected to be the first of several flights catering for more than 130,000 British nationals in the Middle East.
Etihad, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic prepare to resume limited flights to London on Wednesday, while France, Germany, Italy and Spain have announced or begun operating charter flights to return stranded citizens.
The United States has urged Americans to use available commercial transport to exit the region.
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