There was a huge sense of relief at Dublin Airport as the first flight from Dubai touched down since the recent crisis in the Middle East began.
Emirates flight EK163 touched down just before 11pm, with 368 passengers on board, many of them transiting through Ireland before travelling on to other European destinations.
Many of those on the flight had been in the UAE city since last Saturday amid the conflict between Iran and the US and Israel, which caused widespread airspace closures in the Middle East, sparking major disruption to travel.
Further direct flights from the Middle East are due to land in Dublin on Thursday, and a Government-chartered plane is expected to fly from Oman to Ireland later this week.
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Some were too overcome to speak as they arrived late on Thursday night, while others described alarms in the middle of the night and seeing missile trails in Dubai where the Fairmont The Palm Hotel and the airport were hit.
Anna Callaghan from Donegal was overcome to be surprised by her mother Patricia having travelled from the northwest to Dublin to see her.
“My mum’s come all the way from Donegal, that’s why I’m a little overwhelmed, I live in Dublin so I wasn’t expecting to see her,” she said.
Callaghan described a stressful and frightening situation.
“We were seeing and hearing bangs and explosions, last night in particular it was jet after jet after jet going overhead, and then we heard the US consulate was hit and that really scared everyone,” she said.
“This is my fourth flight that I rebooked and I didn’t think I was going to get out.”
Elaine Gleeson from Limerick also surprised a family member, turning up with a balloon and flowers to welcome home her sister Norita Geary.
“Everyone clapped when the plane landed, and cheered, it was just magic,” Geary said.
“I didn’t expect to see her [Elaine] because I told her I was getting a lift home,” she added, hugging her sister. “Dublin is the most beautiful city in the world.”
Gina Quinn from Dublin described hearing a national alarm in the middle of the night which woke them all up.
“It was very frightening, you just didn’t know and getting information on when you might be able to fly home was nigh impossible, the airlines were great but they were inundated,” she said.
“I think everyone on the flight coming in tonight is absolutely delighted, just hope that everybody else gets home quickly because it’s a very uncertain situation.
“It’s fantastic to be home.”
Rob McClean from Greystones, who had been transiting through from India, said it was a massive relief to be in Dublin.
“I was in the airport on Saturday night when the explosion happened so we were evacuated from there which was pretty tough,” he said. “It’s been nerve-wracking for my family.”
Jimmy O’Connor from Longford said he had been on his way home from Australia, after visiting his daughter in Sydney, when he got caught up in the situation in Dubai.
“We didn’t think it would be such a long journey home, but we’re back now safe and sound,” he said.
There were also a number of passengers from across Europe who took the flight to Dublin in desperation to flee the Middle East.
Alex Anderson, a French-American who lives in Germany, described “huge relief” and said it was very emotional to land in Dublin.
“It was really difficult, I was a transfer passenger. I was supposed to be going on to Frankfurt on February 28th, when I was coming in from Malaysia we actually saw the missile trails, but we didn’t know what it was then, just thought it was planes,” he said.
“It was really shocking when we landed and found out what had happened.
“I moved as quickly as I could out of the terminal building, and an hour later it got hit. Then there was the long wait of days, hearing thumps, anti-missile stuff, that was nerve-wracking. They definitely had a lot of drones coming over.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a full-blown warzone like you would see in Gaza, but it’s getting close.
“It’s a huge relief to land in Ireland, and a bit emotional. Tomorrow morning I’ll fly back home to my wife and kids in Frankfurt.”
Dave and Gina Salt from Stoke on Trent in the UK described their experience in Dubai as “scary, sometimes hearing explosions”.
“Other than that we felt quite safe, but relieved to get back, this was our fourth attempt to get out [of Dubai],” Dave Salt added.
Andy Barnes from Hertfordshire and Andy Teasdale from Cumbria said they had spent their time in Dubai since their flight home was cancelled on Saturday in hotel basements.
“We were at the airport from 3.30am There were no flights available but we went on the waiting list and ended up getting on the last flight out,” they said.
They had been staying in the area around the marina and said it had been “pretty hairy” at times.
“We saw a lot of interceptions, Saturday night was really hairy,” Teasdale said.
“We were out having a pizza sat out by the pool, and heard bangs going off, which we later found out were interceptions, you could see it all in the side, and then we saw smoke coming from the Fairmont Hotel,” Barnes added.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs has said there will be a second direct flight from the Middle East to Dublin on Thursday.
Helen McEntee said she was “in constant engagement with the airlines to see how many direct flights we can get to Dublin”.
She told reporters on Wednesday that Irish passengers are also on other flights, and confirmed a Government-chartered plane will leave from the Middle East “later this week”.
The Government said an estimated 22,000 to 23,000 Irish citizens are in the Middle East region.
For those looking to travel home to Ireland, McEntee said commercial flights were the quickest routes.
“For most people in the UAE, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the quickest way home for them is to get a commercial flight.
“The airlines themselves are directly going through their own passenger list, and they’re trying to get as many of those who are caught in transit, those who are on holidays, on those flights and home.” - PA
