First Australian repatriation flight arrives at Sydney Airport
The first group of Australians stranded in the Middle East after war broke out in the region was successfully returned to Sydney; This marks the beginning of a complex repatriation operation for 115,000 travelers and foreigners who still have no escape route from the intensifying conflict.
Australians arrived at a large media pack in the Sydney Airport arrivals hall on Wednesday night, more than 12 hours after more than 200 passengers departed Dubai on Emirates flight EK414, the first commercial flight from the Middle East to Australia since the start of the conflict.
It put an end to days of panic and confusion after the Trump administration launched Operation Epic Rage against Iran on Saturday, prompting retaliatory attacks by the Islamic Republic, in which 10 other countries in the region were bombed with military and unmanned aerial vehicles.
Iman Kreyam’s family flocked to her as she left the arrival gate after 23:00, and her son Zafer described her return as “the happiest day of our lives.”
“It’s incredible that he’s back,” he said. “We just wanted to get him back and he did it.”
Kreyam was on his way to Lebanon to visit his father, who had recently been diagnosed with cancer, when the war began and was stranded at Dubai Airport without access to essential medicines for eight hours before being directed to a hotel.
Iman’s other son, Youssef, ran through the door to hug his mother when she appeared. She said: “I didn’t know what I would do if I lost my mother.”
Alessandra Fuscaldo, a former father who has been living in the UAE for the past 18 months, held back tears as she recalled the “traumatic” moment when her home shook as war closed in on the aftermath of military strikes.
Fuscaldo, who is getting married in the Hunter Valley next week, said he felt “as safe as possible” as the region descended into conflict. Traveling to Sydney ahead of her wedding, her extended family greeted her at the arrival gate.
Passengers on the plane applauded the captain and crew after landing. Families and friends of the passengers leaving the terminal gave another round of applause to the staff.
Etihad Airways has scheduled flights from Abu Dhabi to Sydney and Melbourne on Wednesday night (Gulf time) and is expected to land in Australia on Thursday evening as Emirates continues to expand services to those stranded in the UAE.
This follows talks held by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, in which Albanese put forward the immediate resumption of commercial flights as the best way to get Australians out of the region.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong deployed six crisis teams to the Middle East on Wednesday to assist with repatriation efforts, while the Australian Defense Force set up a task force to explore mass evacuation options.
Roisin Smith praised the response of airlines and the UAE government after she was caught in the Middle East at the weekend, but admitted she was facing 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 was scheduled to compete in a global tournament in Istanbul before getting stuck in Dubai.
Former Sunrise presenter David ‘Kochie’ Koch was there to welcome the traveling party, which included his daughter and teenage grandson who are looking after students abroad. Koch said he was “very relieved” to have his family home.
Ryan Trevithick, a member of the team, said it was “really nice” to return to home soil.
“Of course we had our ups and downs. [a] Trevithick said there’s a lot of tiredness and thoughts in the back of your head and there’s always some anxiety. “Our whole group really came together as a team through this experience and were very supportive of each other.”
The Emirates flight landed hours after Israel launched new missile attacks on Tehran, shortly after hitting Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon.
The Middle East serves as a vital corridor connecting Australasia and Europe and accounts for 11 per cent of global air travel. Around 11,000 Australians transit through the region at any one time and it is used as a hub for Emirates, Virgin Australia partner Qatar Airways and Etihad.
Flight Center general manager Graham Turner predicts that repatriation flights will increase in the coming days, but said it may take more time for flights to the Middle East and Europe to resume.
“The first phase is obviously the repatriation of people from the UAE and assuming there is no major disruption this will take a few days,” Turner said.
“Emirates flying is not bad news, there are plenty of flights [scheduled] “That’s pretty good news for Thursday.”
Qatar Airways will be grounded as the country’s airspace remains closed and flights to Australia are canceled until Friday. An update on flights from Qatar will be available on Thursday afternoon (AEDT).
Camille Thioulouse is among 24,000 Australians still “in limbo” across the UAE after repeated flights to her home base in Saudi Arabia were cancelled.
He and his family have taken shelter in a hotel in Abu Dhabi since the start of the war and are now investigating plans to flee the area after Iranian drones struck the US Embassy in Riyadh, less than 30 minutes from their home.
“Our settlement was not damaged, but most people are leaving their countries in Europe or trying to return to their home countries,” Thioulouse said. he said. “We are making a plan to drive back to Riyadh today and try to cross the border and then go to France where my husband has family.”
Webjet CEO Katrina Barry referred customers seeking safe passage home to travel corridors across Asia, including Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.
Passengers destined for Europe via the Middle East have been diverted to new travel routes, including flights to the US, to avoid the “highly dynamic” situation.
The UK government will repatriate its most vulnerable citizens on a charter flight expected to depart Oman on Wednesday night (Gulf time), the first of several flights serving more than 130,000 British nationals in the Middle East.
Etihad, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic are preparing to restart limited flights to London on Wednesday, while France, Germany, Italy and Spain have announced or started charter flights to bring back stranded citizens.
The United States has urged Americans to use available commercial transportation to get out of the region.
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Daniel Lo Surdo is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously ran The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age’s national news live blog.Connect via email.
