US EditionStranded Australians Arrive Home After ‘Traumatic’ Waiting Game in Middle East War Zone
Emirates flight EK414 brought home about 200 Australians, including 14 students and 4 teachers, marking the first commercial repatriation since the Middle East conflict began.
- On Wednesday night, Emirates flight EK414 landed in Sydney as the first repatriation flight from the Middle East, carrying about 200 passengers including Barker College students and four teachers.
- Amid missile strikes and airport disruptions, Australian leaders pressed UAE officials to resume flights, prompting a coordinated return for about 115,000 travellers and ex‑pats.
- About 13 hours after leaving Dubai, EK414 touched down in Sydney after departing about 9:30am AEDT and landing just before 10:30pm, using dedicated emergency air corridors as one of about 60 flights that left the UAE on Wednesday.
- Beginning with EK414's arrival, authorities are scheduling further commercial evacuations for about 115,000 travellers and ex‑pats, including Etihad Airways flight 454 due Friday and flight 461 between Melbourne and Abu Dhabi.
- The Middle East's role as a key corridor, handling 11 per cent of global air travel, heightens ripple effects as more than 20,000 cancelled flights prompt diversions through Singapore, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur.
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More Australians stranded in the Middle East will arrive home tonight, government confirms
The Government has confirmed more flights are due to arrive in Australia, including one later tonight, as thousands of citizens stranded in the Middle East, make their way home. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has received more than 3-thousand calls from Australians, the majority seeking a way out. Last night, the first plane-load of passengers, direct from Dubai, touched down in Sydney, embraced by family and friends.
Sydney Morning Herald
Stranded Australians arrive home after ‘traumatic’ waiting game in Middle East war zone
The Australians on the first repatriation flight from the Middle East included a group from Sydney’s Barker College who were welcomed by parents, including TV personality David Koch.
US-Iran war live updates: Iranian warship sunk by torpedo off Sri Lanka; Hegseth says US ‘just getting started’; First repatriation flight lands in Sydney
Hundreds of people have been killed across the Middle East as strikes on Iran continue, and retaliatory strikes impact the entire region. Follow our rolling coverage.
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