Hongkongers stranded in Dubai return home on first Middle East flight since conflict began

2026-03-05 - 04:45

An Emirates flight from Dubai carrying stranded Hongkongers landed on Wednesday night, marking the first flight from the Middle East since the conflict began. Hong Kong International Airport. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Emirates flight EK 380 landed in Hong Kong at 9:50pm, according to the Hong Kong International Airport’s record of arrival flights. On the flight were Hongkongers and mainland Chinese residents who had travelled to Dubai before the US-Israel joint operation on Iran began last week, destabilising the region. Karis Teetan, a Hong Kong horse racing jockey, was stranded in Dubai, where he had travelled to for a competition. Teetan told local media that he felt scared in his hotel and was frequently checking for flights back to Hong Kong. He said he felt lucky that he was finally home. Many flights to and from the Middle East region have been grounded amid the conflict, which has escalated onto multiple fronts amid Iran’s counterattacks in places including Qatar, Bahrain and Dubai. Earlier on Tuesday, Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong’s flagship carrier, announced the cancellation of all flights to and from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Dubai in the UAE until March 14. An Emirates plane parked at the Dubai International Airport. File photo: Mehdi Nazarinia/ Wikicommons. The Immigration Department said in response to HKFP that as of 5pm on Wednesday, around 680 Hong Kong residents stranded in Middle East area had sought help from the authorities. Among them, around 100 people have left the region safely while the remaining Hongkongers are reported to be safe. 90 per cent of the inquiries received were from Hong Kong residents stranded in UAE. “The HKSAR Government will maintain close contact with airlines, urging them to make every effort to assist Hong Kong residents stranded in the Middle East in leaving the region as soon as aviation operational conditions permit,” the Immigration Department has said. It added that it will maintain close communication with Chinese embassies and consulates in the region.