An aircraft belonging to Spain’s Armed Forces carrying 172 Spaniards repatriated from the Middle East landed early on Thursday morning at Torrejón de Ardoz air base in Madrid.
The arrival marks the successful completion of one of the evacuation operations being carried out by the Spanish government following the outbreak of the war in Iran triggered by the United States and Israel. ALSO READ: Spain rejects ‘unilateral military action by US & Israel’, but also ‘actions of Iranian regime’.
The A330 aircraft from the Spanish Air Force, which can carry around 250 passengers, departed from Oman. The vast majority of those on board were Spanish nationals. The flight also included citizens from other European Union countries, as well as several Latin American nationals and one Vietnamese citizen.
3,000 Spaniards already repatriated
According to Spain’s national broadcaster RTVE, citing sources from the Foreign Ministry, around 3,000 Spanish citizens have now been repatriated so far, with the government aiming to bring back ‘every last Spaniard who wishes to return’.
‘Spanish citizens who requested evacuation from Iran have now all been evacuated. In an initial phase they crossed the border into Azerbaijan, and today they departed from Baku to Istanbul, from where they will return to Spain on two flights — one to Madrid and another to Barcelona — later today,’ the same sources added.
For other Spaniards still in the region, evacuation operations remain underway using all possible routes, both by land and air. Flights are planned from Dubai to Spain, and a military aircraft is scheduled to fly from Muscat to the Torrejón air base. These will be supplemented by commercial flights.
The Foreign Ministry said it remains in ‘constant contact’ with more airlines to ensure that Spaniards who already have tickets can still use them.
The ministry has also reminded Spanish nationals still in the region of the importance of staying in contact with embassies and consulates, as well as using consular emergency phone numbers, which are available on official websites and social media channels.
‘We were lucky’
Cristian Hidalgo, one of the Spaniards evacuated, told the RTVE programme La Hora de La 1 that the journey back to Spain had been marked by ‘a lot of uncertainty’ because they did not know how long Oman’s airspace would remain open.
Hidalgo said they were ‘lucky’ that their aircraft landed in Oman — ‘a calm area’ — when hostilities broke out.
‘Most of us were people whose flights were diverted and who happened to land in Oman by chance. Most of us were heading to Doha (…) Those who arrived 15 minutes before us are still in Doha and Dubai,’ he explained.
On Tuesday, the first Spaniards evacuated from the Middle East had arrived in Madrid — 175 people in total — on a commercial flight from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Another group of 22 Spaniards left Iran via Azerbaijan on Wednesday.
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said on Thursday that all Spaniards who wished to leave Iran have now done so, and that those remaining in the country are there by choice.
Between residents, tourists and those travelling for work, there are more than 30,000 Spaniards currently in the Middle East.
‘We will not leave any Spaniard behind,’ Albares said on Wednesday, announcing a reinforcement of diplomatic staff at Spanish embassies in Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain ‘to ensure that all Spaniards who wish to return can do so safely’. ALSO READ: Spain to send frigate to Cyprus to ‘offer protection’ and ‘support any evacuation of civilians’.
The war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran last Saturday has already claimed more than 1,000 lives. The conflict has spread to Gulf countries and Lebanon, where Israel has pushed into the south of the country.
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✈️ Finaliza con éxito la misión de repatriación de 171 españoles desde Oriente Medio, a bordo de un avión del @EjercitoAire.
Gracias por vuestra entrega, compromiso y saber hacer.
🫡 Orgullosos de nuestras Fuerzas Armadas. pic.twitter.com/M8ytOB5su3
— Ministerio Defensa (@Defensagob) March 5, 2026
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