More passengers who had been stranded across parts of the Gulf region were finally able to return home on Wednesday as evacuation flights gradually resumed following five days of intense regional tension triggered by military strikes involving the United States and Israel against Iran. Airlines have begun operating limited flights from major transport hubs such as Dubai and Riyadh, while several governments also arranged special charter flights to assist citizens caught in the crisis.
The conflict left tens of thousands of international travellers stuck across the Middle East when commercial air travel was heavily disrupted. Many of those who managed to return home shared emotional stories about the difficult days they spent trying to escape the region. Airports across countries including Australia, France, Germany, India, Russia, Taiwan, and others received returning passengers who described long nights of uncertainty and disrupted travel plans.
One of the travellers, Max Lin, a student from Taiwan, explained how quickly his travel experience changed. He was spending a long layover in Dubai when he received messages from friends asking if he was safe. After checking online, he realized a conflict had broken out following the strikes. His evening flight was immediately cancelled. He later shared his experience after arriving on the first direct Emirates flight from Dubai to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport since the crisis began, describing how his vacation suddenly turned into a struggle to find a safe route home.
Another passenger, Fanny Wu, who travelled to Dubai with her two children, described the fear she felt when airstrikes began. She said explosions were happening close to where they were staying, adding that although people from Taiwan are familiar with regional tensions, she had never personally experienced anything this frightening before. The sudden escalation of violence turned what had been a family trip into a stressful evacuation journey.
Russian authorities also confirmed large-scale evacuation efforts. Representatives of the Russian Union of Travel Industry said around 7,000 Russian citizens had been evacuated from different parts of the Middle East. Officials estimated that about 50,000 Russian tourists were still in the region when the crisis intensified. Travel disruptions also made it difficult for many citizens to leave through normal transit routes.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said between 6,000 and 8,000 Russian nationals were still unable to leave parts of Asia and Africa because of suspended airline connections. She also confirmed that 292 Russian citizens had been evacuated from Iran since the crisis escalated, with most leaving through Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkmenistan border routes.
European countries and the United States also joined the evacuation efforts. France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States organized special repatriation flights from countries including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. These emergency flights helped move hundreds of citizens to safety as governments continued monitoring the security situation.
At Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, 18-year-old passenger Emmy Coutelier reunited with her sister after returning from the United Arab Emirates. She recalled how panic spread when airstrikes began while she was relaxing in a hotel swimming pool with her boyfriend. She described how an emergency alarm later warned guests to stay away from windows, forcing them to move to the hotel basement. She said boarding the evacuation flight felt like escaping danger, even though she still believed the country she left was relatively safe.
French officials warned that organizing evacuation flights remained complicated. Government representative Eleonore Caroit described the operation as challenging because the security situation kept changing rapidly. Authorities said more evacuation flights would likely be scheduled as long as tensions remained high.
Spain also repatriated citizens from the United Arab Emirates. A flight carrying 175 passengers arrived in Madrid, where students Carolina Garcia and Adriana Mecia described experiencing severe anxiety and exhaustion. They said they had barely slept for nearly three days while trying to secure seats on evacuation flights.
The United States reported that more than 9,000 American citizens had returned from the region since the conflict intensified. More than 300 of those evacuees came from Israel. American authorities advised citizens still located in Middle Eastern countries stretching from Egypt eastward to leave immediately for safety reasons.
Meanwhile, Israel announced plans to gradually reopen its airspace. Transport officials said the reopening would happen cautiously and would depend on ongoing security assessments. The first flights would mainly focus on bringing Israeli citizens back home rather than allowing departures. Transport Minister Miri Regev explained that the decision to reopen airspace earlier than planned came after consultations with security experts.
Israel Airports Authority director general Sharon Kedmi said flight operations would begin slowly, with only one aircraft allowed per hour during the first 24 hours of reopening. Officials emphasized that the process would remain tightly controlled until security conditions became more stable.
