The second Estonian repatriation flight from the Middle East landed at Tallinn Airport at 4.15 a.m. on Saturday from Dubai after a stopover in Heraklion, Greece.

One passenger, Sofia, who returned on the flight from Dubai, told ERR she was pleased families with children had been given priority and generally felt positive about the special flights back to Estonia.

However, despite the positive feelings on getting back to Tallinn, some passengers still had a difficult time during their week-long forced stay in the conflict zone.

"We were very lucky: the owner of the apartment gave us a 70 percent discount. Air tickets are expensive, of course, but there's nothing we can do about that. We didn't end up completely without funds – friends and acquaintances helped us out," said Janar, who was on the Dubai –Tallinn flight.

"But some people did have a hard time. They said, 'Dubai is paying for everything,' but that wasn't the case. In Abu Dhabi, yes, some people were given accommodation. But in Dubai, while some hotels were accommodating, others initially offered accommodation but then stopped doing so," he added.

Another tourist, Marina, who was on the same flight, said she felt very anxious over the past week in Dubai and had to live in a basement due to the danger. In the end, a relative paid for Marina and the rest of her family to return home, at a cost of €8,000.

An hour later, the repatriation flight for Estonians from Muscat via Hurghada in Egypt finally arrived at Tallinn Airport. The flight had initially been scheduled for Thursday, March 5 before being postponed by a day due to congestion at Muscat Airport and in regional airspace.

Those on board told ERR they first had to travel a long way from the U.AE. to get to the Omani capital before waiting over a day to catch their flight home.

"I received a message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs saying it was possible to buy a plane ticket home via Oman. We got a ticket and went, thinking it would be quick. But no. We got to Oman and then had to go through two sets of passport control. Finally, we managed to get to the airport," said Vambo, who was on the flight from Muscat to Tallinn.

"The important thing is that I have a 16-month-old child and we waited a really long time at the airport. They didn't tell us anything for hours, and then, eventually, they gave us a hotel room," Vambo explained.

For Matvey and Maria, who returned on the same flight, there was also a lot of waiting around.

"We just sat at the airport and didn't know what to do. Our flight kept getting delayed. So, we kept ourselves busy by playing on our phones and playing different games," they told ERR.

Others who made it home said they were grateful for the opportunity to return to Estonia on the special flights and rejected the opinions of any critics.

"I support this because if people found themselves in a situation like this, they would also be expecting to receive help," said Irina, who was on board one of the flights.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is currently in the process of organizing several more repatriation flights for Estonians from Dubai.

"We are arranging seven flights in total, including the three that have already landed. Two are scheduled for today (Saturday), and two more are planned for tomorrow (Sunday), but that's all. Unfortunately, however, this morning in Dubai there was, once more, the risk of missile strikes and drones. The airport was closed again, and many flights did not take off. We are constantly monitoring the situation," said Kerli Veski, the MFA's deputy secretary general for legal and consular affairs.

Meanwhile, the tourists who have already arrived are now hoping to get some much-needed rest before the start of the working week.

"My plans for today are just to sleep," said Vambo. "I need to sleep soundly and warmly and well."

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