SYDNEY, March 5 (Reuters) - Australia said three more commercial flights were scheduled to depart the United Arab Emirates on Thursday as the first group of Australians stranded in the Middle East returned home overnight following the outbreak of the Iran conflict.
Commercial air traffic remained largely absent across much of the region, with major Gulf hubs - including Dubai, the world's busiest airport for international passengers - largely shut for a fifth straight day, in the biggest travel disruption since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said she hoped the scheduled three flights would proceed, but warned the situation remained volatile after NATO air defences destroyed an Iranian ballistic missile fired towards Turkey.
"This could move very quickly if there is further military activity that makes it unsafe for people to fly, obviously then these flights will not proceed," Wong told ABC News on Thursday.
"This is a conflict zone and we're operating in an environment which is highly unpredictable."
About 200 Australians arrived in an Emirates flight from Dubai on Wednesday night, with emotional scenes at arrival gates as families embraced returning travellers, including children on a school trip, television footage showed.
Sam Brown, who had recently moved to Dubai with her husband and four-year-old daughter, told ABC News the family had been left "just totally shocked by the situation" but were relieved to make it home.
"We just couldn't believe we got on that flight. We're so grateful. We felt nervous, but in very safe hands."
According to airport information, an Emirates flight to Sydney from Dubai is scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. (2200 GMT Wednesday), with another flight to Melbourne set for 5 p.m. (0600 GMT). An Etihad Airways flight to Sydney from Abu Dhabi scheduled for Thursday has been delayed.
About 115,000 Australians remain in the Middle East, with 24,000 in the United Arab Emirates. Australian officials view commercial flights as the most viable option to bring stranded travellers home.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; editing by David Gaffen)
