There were emotional scenes at Dublin Airport as a number of Irish citizens arrived back home after being stuck in Dubai since the Iran war caused severe disruption to airlines across the Middle East.
Emirates flight EK163 landed at Dublin Airport at 11pm last night.
A large number of the 384 passengers were people transiting through Dublin before going on to other European destinations.
Family members waited for their loved ones, who said the last few days had been a very worrying time waiting for news of flights.
Norita Geary from Newcastle West in Co Limerick said she was delighted to be back.
"It was like being in the movies," she said.
Her sister and brother-in-law Elaine and Ronan Gleeson carried flowers and a welcome home balloon, and hugged her tight when she walked through the doors of the arrivals hall.
Most people were those who were transiting through Dubai as they flew from other parts of Asia and Australia. Many had been visiting family or were on holiday, while some were working.
Tim Riordan from Cork was welcomed by his wife Rachel and their two children, two-year-old Fionn and five-year-old Olivia, who were carrying a homemade sign.
Some criticised what they said was a lack of information; Sean Gibbons from Galway said he was disappointed with the Irish Embassy in the UAE for not getting more Irish citizens on the flight.
A number of passengers said they were flying onto London, Birmingham, Vienna and Montenegro and were just passing through Dublin.
The six-day-old US-Israeli bombing campaign of Iran led to the closure of nearly all the airspace in the region.
Meanwhile, Emirates flight EK163 has left Dubai and is due in Dublin at 7.38pm this evening.
Separately, the Government has chartered a flight for Irish citizens which is due to leave Muscat in Oman tomorrow.
So far 25,000 Irish citizens in the region have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs - 2,000 of them have said they want to leave.
They're home!
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) March 4, 2026
The first flight from Dubai in almost 5 days - @emirates EK163 - arrived into Dublin Airport just before 11pm, bringing more than 368 passengers back to Ireland. pic.twitter.com/lMIKtwMtSx
The Irish Embassy in the UAE thanked all those had registered but warned that registration is not an expression of interest in a flight.
Read more:
Live: Updates as they happen
Israeli military launches fresh strikes across Tehran
Yesterday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Helen McEntee said she expected the Government to charter more flights "if necessary".
It was previously confirmed that vulnerable passengers would be prioritised for the charter flight.
Asked about reports of citizens being asked to contribute €800 towards the cost of the chartered flight, she said that was a "substantially reduced charge compared to what the cost of the overall flight is".
Ms McEntee also said that children would fly for free on the charter flight, which she expected would bring over 300 people home.
She also said the Government would pay for transporting people by bus to Muscat from the UAE.
Ms McEntee reiterated advice to remaining Irish citizens to remain sheltered and if they have access to a flight to take it.
"For most people in the UAE, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the quickest way home for them is to get a commercial flight," she said.
"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."
It has been agreed that citizens from Northern Ireland can access assistance from both the Irish and British governments.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Disruption to flights to continue for sixth day
Head of Media Relations at Dublin Airport operator daa Graeme McQueen said disruption to flights to and from airports in the Middle East will continue for a sixth consecutive day.
"Eleven of the 13 flights due to operate today between Dublin Airport and the Middle East have been cancelled by airlines. The only two flights still on the schedule are an inbound Emirates flight from Dubai, expected at around 7pm, and an outbound flight to Dubai, due to depart at around 10pm," he said.
"This follows the departure yesterday and overnight of two outbound flights to Dubai, both carrying a small number of passengers, while one inbound flight from Dubai arrived in Dublin late on Wednesday night carrying over 360 passengers.
Today's cancellations take the total number of flights cancelled by airlines since Saturday to more than 70, Mr McQueen said.
"While these movements are welcome, further disruption to Middle East flights is likely in the days ahead. As always, passengers should contact their airline directly for updates regarding the status of their flight."
Here's a reminder of some useful contacts for Irish citizens in the Gulf region.
Citizens Registration: citizensregistration.dfa.ie
DFAT Crisis Team phone number: +353(0)14082000
People from Northern Ireland who do not hold an Irish passport but wish to register their presence with the Irish Government should contact the number above.
People from Northern Ireland who do not hold a British passport but wish to register their presence with the British government can contact the 24/7 Consular Call Centre on +44 (0)20 7008 5000.
