SHANGHAI -- More than 70 Taiwan compatriots who were stranded in the Middle East returned to Taiwan on Tuesday after transiting through Shanghai.

The group's homeward journey concluded in the afternoon as the final batch of passengers touched down at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport aboard China Eastern Airlines flight MU5007.

Earlier that day, the group arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport from Istanbul, Turkiye, aboard flight MU704 at around 4 am. This marks the largest group of Taiwan passengers to return home via a mainland transit since the escalation of regional tensions in the Middle East in late February.

According to the exit-entry administration department of the Shanghai municipal public security bureau, the passengers were originally scheduled to transit through Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. However, they were left stranded due to flight cancellations resulting from airspace closures and airport shutdowns amid the volatile regional situation.