200 Italian Students Land in Milan After Being Stranded in Dubai Due to Middle East War
Milan, March 4, 2026 – A group of approximately 200 Italian students, including several minors, safely landed at Milan Malpensa Airport (Terminal 1) at 7:25 PM on Wednesday, March 3, 2026, marking the end of an anxious period during which they were stranded in Dubai. The students had been in the region since Saturday when bombardments following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran were reported, leading to the closure of Middle Eastern airspace.
The flight, which departed from Abu Dhabi at 2:00 PM, was announced earlier by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister, Antonio Tajani. Families and friends gathered at Gate B of the arrivals hall at Terminal 1 from early afternoon, supported by a significant police presence at the airport.
Days of Apprehension for Families
“We have been here since 5 PM, maybe even earlier,” recounted four mothers, anxiously awaiting their children, who are students at an international school in Pavia. “These have been days of apprehension, but the children were fantastic: they heard the explosions but never gave in to panic. We were never alone. Everyone was always close to us, and this helped us. Now we just want to hug them again.”
Among the waiting families, some had traveled from as far as Naples. “We were always in contact with them. Our children spent at least two hours in a bunker. We experienced the explosions live with them. In fact, it was they who calmed us down, showing extraordinary maturity. We just want to hug them, then we will drive all night towards Naples. We will return home, to a land of peace.”
Regional Support and Ongoing Monitoring
Attilio Fontana, President of the Lombardy Region, speaking at Palazzo Pirelli on Tuesday during the presentation of the first balance sheet for the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics, confirmed the region’s commitment to assisting its citizens. “Yesterday, I already asked the relevant regional offices, through the Undersecretary for International and European Relations, Raffaele Cattaneo, to activate so that the Lombardy Region offers all the necessary support to our compatriots and fellow citizens stranded abroad due to the closure of Middle Eastern airspaces, and that all useful information required by the situation is provided.”
Cattaneo added, “We are confident that the situation will allow for a quick return. There is currently no precise data on Lombards, but we have a map that concerns Italians. We are talking about several hundred people.”
Italian Presence in the Region
According to Minister Tajani, there are approximately 70,000 Italians in the region, with nearly 80% being permanent residents and the rest temporary visitors. About 30,000 of them are in Dubai and Abu Dhabi alone. Tajani specified that this number includes “residents, workers, military personnel, tourists, students, pilgrims. Approximately twenty thousand residents with Italian passports live in Israel. Numerous communities are present in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, and Bahrain. In Iran, there are just under five hundred compatriots, almost all residents.”
The safe return of the 200 students brings a sense of relief to their families and highlights the challenges faced by citizens abroad during times of international conflict.
