KC-330 ‘Cygnus’ Military Transport: How South Korea Successfully Evacuated 211 Citizens from Saudi Arabia

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Two hundred eleven people who had been stranded in the Middle East returned safely to South Korea on March 15 after boarding a government-arranged KC-330 Cygnus military transport in Saudi Arabia.

According to the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry, the KC-330 departed Riyadh on the afternoon of March 14 (local time) carrying 204 South Korean citizens, five family members holding other nationalities and two Japanese nationals. The aircraft landed at Seongnam Seoul Airport in Gyeonggi Province at about 5:59 p.m. Korea time on March 15.

The evacuation was conducted under the operation name “Desert Light.” The Foreign Ministry said the name reflects the government’s commitment to protect and assist South Koreans in the region.

The Cygnus had flown from Gimhae Airport the day before to position for the mission. To secure safe passage, Seoul sought and obtained overflight clearances from more than 10 countries along the planned route within 24 hours.

The government prioritized boarding for critically ill patients, people with severe disabilities, pregnant women, older adults and infants. Taking into account regulations and local conditions, officials said they will bill adult passengers afterward about 880,000 KRW each (approximately $660).

The evacuees included not only those based in Saudi Arabia but also South Koreans who had been staying in neighboring countries such as Lebanon, Bahrain and Kuwait.

On March 11, the Foreign Ministry dispatched a joint government rapid response team to the region, led by former spokesperson Lee Jae-woong, to coordinate repatriation efforts.

Seoul said this is the first deployment of a military transport aircraft since the Iran crisis began.

The Foreign Ministry initially prioritized commercial charters, but officials said the lack of direct flights from Riyadh to Incheon and other operational constraints led them to deploy the military transport instead.

This marks the seventh time the Cygnus has been used to evacuate South Koreans abroad. Previous missions include the 2021 Afghanistan “Miracle” operation, the 2023 Sudan “Promise” operation, and evacuations from Israel in 2023 and Lebanon in 2024.