️ On March 4, the arrival hall of Tashkent International Airport was bustling with activity. People awaited the evacuation flight of Centrum Air from Dubai, closely watching the flight schedule. The plane carried passengers who had been unable to depart on February 28 due to the cancellation of two of the company's flights on the Dubai-Tashkent and Dubai-Samarkand routes. Although landing was scheduled for 15:20, the aircraft arrived at 15:55.
️ Among those waiting, a young man in light-colored clothing holding a bouquet of flowers stood out amidst men in black jackets. He said his mother and sister had gone to Dubai as tourists, but their return flight on February 28 was canceled. Centrum Air accommodated passengers in a hotel and covered one day's stay, after which the consulate helped cover costs for the remaining three days. The young man stated: “Everything was calm and orderly. The consul was constantly in touch. If Dubai airport had not been operational, they even considered a flight option via Oman.”
️ In the arrival hall, another family awaited their 63-year-old mother and daughter-in-law, who had traveled to Dubai on a one-week tour package. Relatives said: “They were supposed to return on March 1, but there was a delay. We were very worried for them, we were afraid, but there was communication. Then we learned that people were being helped to return. Thanks to the president for the help.”
️ Repatriation flights organized under the directive of Uzbekistan's leadership are regularly arriving in the capital. The exact number of Uzbek citizens in Middle Eastern countries on February 28, when the US and Israeli regimes launched airstrikes against Iran, was not specified (on that very day, airspace in many regional states was closed). On the morning of March 5, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that over 9,300 citizens had been evacuated since March 1.
️ Through regular and additional charter flights, more than 8,100 people have been returned from Saudi Arabia, and nearly 1,200 citizens from the United Arab Emirates. Additionally, 23 compatriots were evacuated from Iran, 25 from Bahrain, and 7 from Oman. On March 3, around 7:00 a.m., a Uzbekistan Airways flight from Dubai landed in Tashkent. This flight had been canceled shortly before departure on February 28.
️ According to the airline's press service, the delayed flight initially had 160 passengers. Later, other Uzbeks joined them, including members of a sports delegation and citizens stranded without funds in the UAE. One passenger on the flight said the airline accommodated them in two hotels and covered accommodation and meal expenses.
️ Uzbekistan Airways created a separate Telegram group for passengers of this flight, regularly posting updates there. The Consulate General of Uzbekistan in Dubai also set up a separate group to communicate with compatriots. Passengers were not prohibited from leaving the hotel. In Dubai, shopping malls and public dining establishments continued to operate, with calm maintained on the streets.
️ One passenger noted: “There was no panic. Only emergency alerts frequently came to phones and tablets (they were very loud and could not be turned off). You could see fighter jets flying in the sky and hear the air defense system operating.” A passenger on the Qanot Sharq flight canceled on Saturday also said there was no panic, but the airline only covered hotel accommodation costs for one night—until the evening of March 1—after which passengers had to pay themselves.
Source: www.gazeta.uz