Dubai-Incheon direct flights resume after Iran conflict disruption

An Emirates passenger jet is parked on the apron at Incheon International Airport Wednesday, as several Middle Eastern countries closed their airspace and suspended civilian flights following attacks on Iran by the United States and Israel. Yonhap

Direct flights from Dubai to Incheon resumed Friday after being suspended amid escalating military conflict in the Middle East.

The resumption raises hopes that Korean tourists stranded in the region can return home.

Direct flights departing from Incheon to Dubai and other Middle Eastern destinations remain suspended until Sunday.

According to Dubai International Airport and Korean nationals staying in the United Arab Emirates, Emirates flights departed Dubai at 3:30 a.m. and 4:45 a.m. local time, bound for Incheon International Airport.

The flights marked the first direct service between Korea and the Middle East since the suspension of operations following airstrikes on Iran by the United States and Israel and Tehran’s subsequent retaliatory attacks.

Apart from the two flights scheduled for Friday, no additional direct services have yet been confirmed.

Meanwhile, presidential chief of staff Kang Hoon-sik said Friday that the government has secured a route for the safe evacuation of Korean citizens out of the Middle East.

"We have been in close consultation with authorities in the United Arab Emirates to facilitate the secure return of our nationals," Kang said during a press briefing. "Late last night, we finalized the resumption of commercial flight operations departing from the UAE."

Kang confirmed that a wide-body UAE passenger aircraft carrying Korean citizens departed from Dubai en route to Seoul. The flight arrived at Incheon International Airport at around 8:30 p.m. Friday, carrying 372 Korean passengers.

The Korean government was in talks with UAE authorities to deploy chartered flights and military transport aircraft as early as this weekend to help evacuate Korean nationals.

Foreign Minister Cho Hyun attended a plenary session of the National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs and Unification Committee Friday and said, “I spoke with the UAE foreign minister last night and requested that UAE civilian aircraft be allowed to depart directly for Incheon.”

Cho said authorities had already established a communication network with long-term residents and made contact with all short-term travelers. The government is now discussing broader arrangements, including boarding priorities once chartered flights are dispatched, he added.

Excluding long-term residents, around 3,000 Koreans, mostly travelers, are believed to be in the UAE. Many are reportedly in Dubai, home to one of the Middle East’s largest aviation hubs.