Australians evacuating the Middle East are returning on flights that surprisingly have vacant seats. This is due to last-minute confirmations from airlines and lingering safety worries, causing some citizens to hesitate about coming back.

Several flights have successfully departed from Dubai, with more planned to leave the conflict-stricken area. Australians are being urged to hold onto their tickets and maintain regular communication with their airlines.

A recent flight touched down in Sydney on Thursday night, followed by another in Melbourne on Friday morning, collectively repatriating over 440 Australians.

Additionally, a plane from Abu Dhabi arrived in Sydney at around 9:30 am on Friday.

Emirates is slated to run another four flights from Dubai within the next day, while Etihad and Qatar Airways have a few flights scheduled. However, these may face cancellations due to airspace restrictions.

Despite these efforts, not all flights arriving in Australia are reaching full capacity. Many passengers receive just a few hours’ notice from airlines, and ongoing safety concerns deter some from boarding.

The first commercial flight to leave the region for Australia since the outbreak of the US and Israeli conflict with Iran arrived late on Wednesday.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Australia has been working “really cooperatively” with the United Arab Emirates.

“Our priority is being able to get Australians safe and get them back home,” he said.

While the Opposition has called for repatriation flights to operate in the region for stranded Australians, Burke said regular flights were the best option.

“The simple reality is when you’ve got more than 100,000 people in the region who have been stranded, a charter flight option isn’t going to scratch the surface on that,” he said.

“You really need to rely on the commercial airlines.”

Opposition foreign affairs spokesperson Ted O’Brien said military planes were used at short notice to evacuate Australians from Israel in 2025, New Caledonia in 2024 and Afghanistan in 2021.

Australian Travel Industry Association chief executive Dean Long said the aviation sector was adapting, with Etihad, Emirates and some Asian carriers operating normally.

“There will be some delays and a bit more disruption than what we’re used to but no one in the travel industry is going to put you in a place where it’s unsafe,” he said.

Long urged Australians planning to travel in the coming weeks and months not to cancel their flights.

There are 24,000 Australians in the UAE, made up of travellers and residents, while about 115,000 are across the broader Middle East.

The federal government has deployed military assets to assist stranded Australian citizens and permanent residents.

A Royal Australian Air Force C17A Globemaster heavy transport aircraft and KC-30A multi-role tanker transport have been deployed as a precautionary measure.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came under fire from the Opposition after he urged Australians to heed travel advice and take up commercial options to return home.

“The government is failing to respond adequately,” opposition defence spokesperson James Paterson told reporters.

“Every other nation of comparable size and civilians is either chartering aircraft or sending their military planes.”

On Thursday, the New Zealand government announced it would send two defence force aircraft to repatriate its citizens.

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