The first evacuation flight from West Asia’s conflict zone lands in KLIA, bringing home 163 Malaysians including umrah pilgrims and other stranded citizens.

SEPANG: A total of 163 Malaysians stranded in several West Asian countries arrived home today on the country’s first evacuation flight.

The chartered Malaysia Airlines flight MH8503 landed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 12.32 pm. The group comprised umrah pilgrims in Saudi Arabia as well as Malaysians in Qatar, Jordan and Syria.

They were affected by flight schedule disruptions and airspace closures in the region. The flight also carried seven non-citizen family members comprising five Thai nationals, one Indonesian and one Moroccan.

Passengers exited the KLIA Terminal 1 Arrival Hall at 1.45 pm. They were greeted by family members who had been waiting since early morning.

The operation was coordinated by the National Security Council under the directive of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. It ensured immediate measures were taken to safeguard citizens in the conflict zone.

The Airbus A330-300 had departed KLIA at 4.10 pm on Tuesday. It landed at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah at 8.35 pm local time.

The mission was allotted only a short window by local authorities in Jeddah for passenger pick-up. Media personnel from Bernama and RTM joined the repatriation flight.

Tensions in West Asia have escalated since Feb 28. This followed a series of Israeli and United States attacks on Iran, and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes.

 The Sun Malaysia