More than 230 Australians stranded during the escalating conflict in the Middle East have returned home, landing at Sydney Airport to emotional scenes as families reunited with loved ones.
The passengers arrived on the first evacuation flight from Dubai, where many Australians had been temporarily stranded as tensions in the region intensified.
Families waiting in the arrivals hall cheered and embraced passengers as they walked through the terminal late Wednesday night after several anxious days abroad.
Among the returning travellers was Australian passenger Iman Krayem, who had been transiting through the United Arab Emirates on her way to visit her ill father in Lebanon when the conflict escalated.
Iranian missile strikes targeting the Gulf city followed a wave of attacks involving the United States and Israel, leaving many travellers unable to continue their journeys.
“I was crying non-stop,” Krayem said shortly after clearing customs.
“It was so stressful, I didn’t have my luggage, I had no clothes but I am happy to be back home now.”
The flight carried a diverse group of Australians whose plans had been disrupted by the crisis, including high school students travelling to Istanbul for an international robotics competition.
Others had been travelling for humanitarian or business purposes.
Charity worker Hawra Khalil had been in Lebanon delivering aid to children in several cities affected by poverty and conflict.
After following Australian government travel advice, she managed to reach Dubai, where she was temporarily stranded before boarding the flight to Sydney.
“I just got a glimpse of it in Dubai and I had seen what people in Lebanon go through on a daily basis tenfold,” Khalil said.
“It is scary, you feel threatened but I have it so much easier because what I witnessed is innocent families and innocent children starving and in poverty.”
Mining executive Troy Barker said he had only recently arrived in Dubai and was attending a major horse race when he noticed drones and missiles moving across the city’s skyline.
“I saw a couple of missiles but I’ve worked in Africa for 20 years so I’ve seen many things,” Barker said.
Australia’s Penny Wong confirmed the first evacuation flight had arrived safely and said further efforts were underway to bring more Australians home.
“We know this is a very difficult time. We are conscious of how distressed many people are,” Wong told reporters in Canberra.
She confirmed that three additional flights from the United Arab Emirates to Australia were scheduled to depart the following day, subject to security conditions.
“We have three flights that are currently scheduled today for departure for Australia from the UAE,” she said.
The government has also deployed six consular teams across the region to assist Australians attempting to leave conflict-affected areas.
Officials estimate that around 24,000 Australians are currently in the United Arab Emirates, while approximately 115,000 remain across the wider Middle East region.
Wong said the government was continuing to process registrations from Australians seeking assistance to return home.
“We have had a lot of registrations, and that is a good thing,” she said.
“We are working through that registration process to determine eligibility and also people’s relative needs.”
