SEOUL, Mar 4 (YONHAP/APP): About 40 South Korean tourists stranded in Dubai due to disruptions at the city’s main airport are expected to return home Thursday, travel agencies said, as they scramble to secure alternative flights amid a Middle East conflict triggered by a joint U.S.-Israeli strike on Iran.
Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest hub for international passengers, remains partially operational as of Wednesday as the regional security crisis affects airspace and flight schedules.
South Korea’s major tour agencies, Hanatour and Modetour, said they are working to bring back hundreds of their clients currently in the Middle East. Of the roughly 540 travelers booked on the companies’ package tours in the region, some 240 are in Dubai.
Hanatour reported that around 40 of its clients left Dubai early Wednesday (local time) and arrived in Taipei later the same day. Following an overnight stay in Taiwan, they are scheduled to fly to Incheon on a Korean Air flight on Thursday afternoon.
Modetour said it has also secured connecting flights via Taipei, Hanoi and Guangzhou for groups departing Thursday, with about 50 customers expected to arrive in South Korea that day.
Hanatour added that as the airport in Cairo is operating normally, travelers can return home simply by changing their flights.
Attention is now focused on whether the Emirates’ direct flight from Dubai to Incheon, scheduled to depart early Thursday, will operate normally. Incheon airport’s website lists both Emirates and Korean Air flights from Dubai as due to arrive at 4:50 p.m., but airport conditions in Dubai remain fluid.
“The Dubai airport is partially operational, so we’re bringing customers home gradually,” a Hanatour official said. “There are many variables, but we expect all travelers to return within the next few days.”