Middle East tensions strand Thai students in Dubai, now safely home

A group of 30 Thai nationals from an international school, who travelled to participate in a sports competition and became stranded in Dubai due to the Middle East crisis, arrived back in Thailand yesterday.

The Thai Consulate General in Dubai reported on its Facebook page that the group was comprised of students and parents and their safe return was achieved by coordinating with Emirates Airlines to arrange seats for them.

The Consulate General also delivered Thai food to the group to help boost morale, particularly among the students.

After all members of the group received confirmed flight tickets, they departed for Bangkok on March 4 on Emirates flight EK370, arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport the same day.

Officials and staff of the Consulate-General were present at the airport to facilitate their departure.

The flight was the first direct flight from Dubai to Thailand amid recent tensions in the Middle East, which resulted in the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights and left over 30,000 passengers stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Authorities in the UAE report that nearly 18,000 stranded passengers have now been able to travel onward to their destinations.

Major UAE airlines, such as Emirates, Flydubai and Air Arabia, are gradually resuming flights to various destinations, prioritising stranded passengers.

The Consulate-General said it has been closely monitoring the situation of Thai nationals affected by the war and has coordinated to provide advice and necessary assistance to various groups of Thai citizens.

At present, the Consulate-General is coordinating with major airlines operating flights from Dubai and the northern emirates to Thailand, to help secure travel home for stranded Thai nationals as soon as possible.