First direct Dubai-Dublin flight since Iran conflict departs with 400 passengers

Direct service resumes as Ireland works to repatriate citizens following regional flight disruptions

An Emirates plane taxis to a gate at Dubai International Airport at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Picture: AP Photo/Adam Schreck, File

A plane carrying about 400 passengers back to Dublin departed Dubai this afternoon, marking the first direct flight from the Middle East to Ireland since war broke out with Iran.

Dubai Airport confirmed the flight departed and is expected to arrive in Dublin at around 10.15pm this evening.

Flights were grounded after the Israeli-US attack on Iran on Saturday and the retaliatory strikes that followed.

Services from Dubai have gradually resumed, with the first direct flight to Dublin scheduled to take off at 6pm Dubai time and land shortly after 10pm Irish time.

Speaking on Newstalk, foreign affairs minister Helen McEntee confirmed that about 400 passengers will travel on the first Emirates flight to Dublin.

“In the last few days, there have been a limited number of flights that are taking off, and, as you can imagine, they're going to every part of the world,” she said.

“We're not the only people trying to get our citizens out. We have, over the past few days, had a number of people who have been able to get to London or to Berlin or to other parts of Europe.

“But we now have confirmation, having been engaging with the airlines, that there will be a direct flight to Dublin today.

“That flight will have up to, if not a little bit more than, 400 people on it. That's obviously a really positive development, and we are pushing for more direct flights to Dublin.

“Hopefully, if it continues as is, so the airspace continues to allow these flights to get out, we would hope that more people would be able to get on those flights, and that we will have more direct flights to Dublin.” 

Ms McEntee said airlines are prioritising passengers stuck in transit in the Middle East or holidaying in the region.

Meanwhile, the first Irish Government charter flight is due to depart in the coming days, bringing up to 280 people back to Dublin via Oman. Ms McEntee confirmed officials made calls on Wednesday morning to those who registered with the Irish Embassy in the UAE. 

Passengers will then travel by bus for six to eight hours to Oman before boarding the flight.

About 24,000 Irish people are in the UAE, with 2,000 having expressed a desire to return home.

Ms McEntee acknowledged that while some people in Dubai and Abu Dhabi say they feel safe due to anti-missile systems, Government advice remains to stay sheltered.

She continued: “I do appreciate there are people who simply want to come home, because this is a very uncertain environment to be in.

“It's very frightening for people. We've heard different stories from people who are there. They want to get home to their children. They have small children there with them.

“There are people with health conditions and reasons that they have to get home.

“I don't want to panic anybody. That's not our intention here. What I want to make sure is that every avenue possible is explored and acted on to make sure that the people who want to get home can get home.” 

Ms McEntee said that if the war is ongoing when Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits the White House in two weeks, he will stress that “we have to get people back around the table” to de-escalate and end the conflict in the Middle East.

She added: “Back around the table might sound soft, but that is the only option here. This is the only way that this is resolved and that people find a way forward, because anything other than that just creates further instability.”