More than 300 South Korean nationals stranded in Qatar due to the recent Middle East crisis boarded a Qatar Airways flight bound for Korea on Wednesday.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said approximately 300 Korean citizens departed for Korea at 3:45 p.m. Korean time on Wednesday via a Qatar Airways commercial flight. They are scheduled to arrive in Korea at 12:21 a.m. on Thursday.
"Currently, only limited emergency flights to Europe are operating in Qatari airspace, but as a result of the Korean Embassy in Qatar actively requesting the resumption of flights from the Qatari government and airlines, an emergency flight to Korea with 395 seats was arranged for departure on the 9th," the ministry said.
The embassy confirmed boarding intentions from 303 Korean nationals for the flight. However, the exact number of passengers is still being verified due to some no-shows and new requests for boarding.
"We will make every effort to ensure that all Korean nationals who have not yet returned from other Middle Eastern countries can return home quickly and safely," the ministry said.
