KC-330 ‘Cygnus’: How South Korea’s Military Transport Aircraft Rescued Citizens from War-Torn Middle East
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Evacuates Korean residents from Riyadh and returns home
Government to charge about 880,000 KRW per adult (approx. $660)
Our citizens who had been stranded in the Middle East amid the U.S.–Iran conflict returned to Korea aboard a military transport.
According to the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry, an Air Force KC-330 Cygnus tanker-transport carrying 211 people — 204 Koreans, five foreign-national family members and two Japanese nationals — landed at Seongnam Seoul Airport at 5:59 p.m. on the 15th.
The government executed an emergency airlift plan dubbed “Light of the Desert.” A rapid response team led by former Foreign Ministry spokesman Lee Jae-woong deployed to the region, and officials sought overflight clearance from more than 10 countries along the route. Roughly 30 personnel were on board to support the mission, including Air Force pilots, CCT (combat control team) personnel responsible for safety, and maintenance and medical staff.
The aircraft departed Korea the morning of the 14th and arrived in Riyadh that afternoon local time. After embarking evacuees that evening, it returned to Korea.
Koreans who had been in Saudi Arabia as well as those from Kuwait, Bahrain and Lebanon traveled to Riyadh to board the flight. Korean nationals in Kuwait were transported by bus under the local embassy’s escort, while those in Lebanon flew to Riyadh to assemble for evacuation.
Earlier, the government had secured commercial and charter flights through diplomatic talks to repatriate many short-term residents from the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. But the Foreign Ministry said some citizens in other Middle Eastern countries could not safely reach the UAE or Qatar, prompting the decision to deploy the military transport.
The government also evaluated using commercial or charter aircraft from Riyadh but opted for the military transport for safety reasons.
This marks the seventh time the Air Force’s KC-330 Cygnus has been used to evacuate Koreans overseas. The most recent operation before this one evacuated about 96 people from Lebanon in 2024 during ground fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
Under applicable regulations, the government will charge passengers on this flight roughly 880,000 KRW per adult (about $660).
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