South Korean full-service carrier Asiana Airlines said Thursday that it has sent a chartered flight to bring back some 80 South Koreans stuck in Iran, where the COVID-19 has been rapidly spreading. 

Asiana Airlines said 80 Koreans left Tehran, Iran, to board a chartered flight in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The flight departed the Al Maktoum International Airport, some 37 kilometers from Dubai, on Thursday morning and arrived at Incheon International Airport at 4:35 p.m.

Ministry data shows that some 200 South Koreans stay in Iran. 

Asiana Airlines said it could not directly fly into Tehran due to the Iranian government’s restriction of foreign airlines’ entry in and departure from the country. 

The air carrier said passengers’ seats had been spaced out while the cabin crew had been provided with safety gear such as protective suits. The inflight service was minimized over virus spread concerns, the company said. 

After landing, all passengers were to be moved to a Korea International Cooperation Agency training center to be tested over the following one to two days, the firm said.

By Kim Da-sol (ddd@heraldcorp.com)