I flew from Mumbai to Dubai aboard an Emirates repatriation flight, one of several operating in the past 24 hours and one of the first flights back to the country since the outbreak began US and Israel attack Iran weekend.

most flights Flights to and from the UAE have been grounded, causing hundreds to cancel flights and leaving thousands stranded in and outside the Middle East, disrupting global travel as Iran’s attacks escalate into a wider regional conflict.

on Monday, Emirates and Etihad Airways announce A small number of flights to and from Dubai: repatriation flights for UAE nationals and residents, and other flights to evacuate tourists stranded in the country.

With about 30 minutes left on the 3.5-hour journey from Mumbai to Dubai, the captain of the Emirates flight (an Airbus A380 with only half the passengers on board) informed the passengers that we had to turn around due to missile launch Iran About the UAE.

About 15 minutes later, the captain informed the passengers that the airspace had reopened and we received clearance to land in Dubai, arriving at an almost deserted airport.

Arrival boarding passes were blank but a small number of passengers appeared to be on repatriation flights back to the UK

My partner and I were on holiday in Goa, India, when the war started and we were due to fly back on Sunday, but our direct flight to the UAE was cancelled. My boss suggested that I go to CNBC’s Singapore bureau to wait out the conflict and work there. On Monday evening we headed to Goa airport to catch our flight to Singapore via Mumbai.

When we arrived at Mumbai airport, we checked the departure board for the Singapore route and saw an Emirates flight to Dubai at 2:20am. I spent the weekend contacting Emirates, Etihad and Dubai Airports to report, but was shocked when I saw the flight. We headed to the Emirates Help Desk to find out more.

To my surprise, they told us that we could book flights if we were UAE residents or nationals. They asked us to book on the spot through the airline’s app and show our Emirates ID, which is the national identity card for residents across the country.

We stood at our desks, contemplating whether to fly back into a raging war. I consulted with CNBC’s security team, and together we decided it was best to go home. My team had been reporting and working on the ground in the UAE for several days and I couldn’t turn down the opportunity to go back. My partner and I agreed that we probably wouldn’t get another chance anytime soon.

We boarded the very quiet flight and talked to the other passengers, a mix of Emiratis and expats living in Dubai. Many of them have tried in recent days to board flights to Saudi Arabia or Oman, hoping to return to the UAE from there.

I was told that taxi drivers in Muscat charge passengers who want to cross the border more than 3,000 dirhams, the equivalent of just over $800 for a four-and-a-half-hour journey. Most people on board said they were excited to go home, but the atmosphere on the plane was tense.

The plane took off and we fell asleep. It was the middle of the night and I had been busy with breaking news for the past three days. Thirty minutes after landing, the captain woke us all up and told us that UAE airspace was closed and the plane had to turn back to Mumbai. We are so close.

There was a mixture of silence and shock. There was a British woman next to me who said her two young children were in Dubai. After receiving the news that she would not see her family, she looked at me with despair.

Through the Wifi on the flight, I learned from my team that they track my flighta barrage of missiles has been launched towards the United Arab Emirates. They reported hearing multiple loud explosions, which the UAE government confirmed were the country’s air defense systems intercepting missiles coming from Iran. I was stunned and started planning to get back to my original plan: Singapore.

About 15 minutes later, the captain’s voice came back. To our surprise, he said we had permission to land in Dubai and it was only about an hour away. The entire flight clapped and cheered. I looked at my partner. We all wondered: Are we really flying back within the range of a ballistic missile?

As we approached Dubai, I saw the familiar sight of the Persian Gulf outside my window, with tankers dotting the coast of the UAE like little stars full of oil.

The crew told me that two fighter jets were escorting us back into UAE airspace. I couldn’t see anything out of the window from the middle seat’s view, and Emirates didn’t confirm this to me after we landed, other than to say that the flight was “diverted in compliance with air traffic control instructions” and “landed safely in Dubai with a delay of one hour.”

When we landed it was just after 6am on Tuesday morning. This emptiness is an eerie reminder of how this country is feeling during Covid-19. I flew a lot at that time and remember going in and out of a very empty Dubai airport. The arrival boarding pass was blank, there was no movement at baggage claim and the taxi rank was empty.

It feels good to be home, even though it feels like pure luck and I don’t expect to be back for weeks. For me, the UAE feels very safe at the moment.