The second of two military planes sent to rescue New Zealanders stranded by the Middle East war is returning home because it’s not needed.
The Hercules were sent earlier this month amid fears the conflict between the US and Israel and Iran would shut down commercial flights out of big hubs like Dubai.
But the Defence Force said there were plenty of flights available for people wanting to leave.
It said one of the Hercules returned on Sunday and the other was currently on route and will arrive on Saturday.
It is the second time the Defence Force has flown to the Middle East, but was not needed for any evacuation flights.
Defence Minister Judith Collins said a lot of people had indicated that they wanted to leave, but in the end, either decided they could move across land borders, commercial flights or didn’t want to go.
“I think it’s always about being prepared. It takes quite a long time to get the assets into the region and if we have them there, then we can always bring them back,” Collins told Morning Report.
Collins did not have specifics on how much the flight cost.
“Our Defence people are ready and willing to help wherever possible to help New Zealanders… If they’re not needed, that’s fine too; if they are needed, they’ll be there.”
There were currently around 3000 New Zealanders registered with Foreign Affairs as living in the region.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the government also put on buses for people wanting to get from Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain to Saudi Arabia but only a handful had taken that up.
It said it continued to monitor the situation closely.