ATHENS — Greece organized a special evacuation flight from Abu Dhabi to Athens carrying 45 pets and 101 people trapped by the ongoing war in the Middle East. The government-organized Aegean flight brought dozens of dogs and cats to Athens with their Greek owners who had been stranded in the region.

Commercial airlines had stopped accepting animals during the crisis, leaving pet owners with limited options. Danai Koukoulomati could not find any commercial flight that would accept animals in the cabin or in the cargo hold. "It is very, very difficult to fly out of the country with your pets," Koukoulomati said. "To me, my pet, my cat is my family. There is no chance I'm going to leave him behind."

Koukoulomati also described her cat's behavior during the crisis. "He would hide in the bathroom and that would be all. He was a calm cat," she said.

Nikos Chrysakis, Special Secretary for the Protection of Companion Animals at the Greek Interior Ministry, emphasized the government's approach to the evacuation. "Our pets are not luggage, they are part of our families," Chrysakis said.

Alexandra Papayanis arrived with her dog named Sirtaki and another dog she was bringing for a friend. Papayanis has been living in Dubai for five years. "It's so important. I mean, our pets are part of our family," Papayanis said. "And in these very difficult circumstance, the challenges we are facing is how to bring our dogs and our cats back."

The evacuation came as airline travel across the Middle East faced major disruptions. An Israeli and U.S. attack on Iran has disrupted airline travel across the Middle East. Countries in the region have repeatedly shut their airspace as missiles flew overhead, and major airline hubs such as Dubai and Qatar have canceled thousands of flights. Hundreds of thousands of travelers were stranded due to flight cancellations and airspace closures throughout the region.

Forty-five pets and their owners were repatriated to Greece after weeks of being trapped in the Middle East.