The third repatriation flight organised by Luxair in collaboration with the Luxembourg government touched down at Findel Airport on Friday morning, bringing home 181 people who had been stranded in the Middle East following the outbreak of war.
The aircraft landed shortly before 11am, completing a journey that originated in Muscat, Oman, and routed via Hurghada, Egypt, before returning to the Grand Duchy. Passengers had been evacuated from Dubai to Oman prior to the flight.
The Luxair crew, including Captain Laurent Donteri and co-pilot Jil Kalmes, had departed for the region last Tuesday. In an exclusive interview with RTL, both described the emotional weight of the mission.
“We know exactly what the passengers went through. It wasn’t easy. Not just what happened in Dubai, but also the whole journey from Dubai over to Oman”, Donteri said. “When we welcomed the people on board, we felt and saw their emotions”, he added.
The operation was mounted rapidly, with teams working to extract those stranded as quickly as possible. “We wanted to get those people out of that region as quickly as possible. A whole team was involved in this organisation. Luxair employees, but others too. We quickly had volunteers sign up to take part in this rescue mission”, the chief pilot explained.
Among the 181 passengers were three infants and 12 children. For co-pilot Jil Kalmes, the experience was equally profound. “For me, it was just as emotional as for Laurent”, she said, “When the people got off the plane here in Luxembourg and were crying, I had to hold back tears myself”.
