Brussels, Belgium. Commercial flights in parts of the Middle East have been grounded amid escalating conflict following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, stranding foreign nationals and prompting governments to plan repatriations.
Austria
Austria’s foreign ministry said it had assisted 117 vulnerable citizens to leave the United Arab Emirates and Israel via neighbouring states and was planning a first charter flight from Muscat on March 4 for 170 people. It warned that land departures would be undertaken at travellers’ own risk.
Bulgaria
Three flights by GullivAir, Bulgaria Air and the State Aviation Operator returned Bulgarian citizens from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Oman on March 4 and March 5. The flights included a 326-seat GullivAir flight from Dubai, a Bulgaria Air Boeing 737 rotation via Oman, and a 90-seat government aircraft from Abu Dhabi.
Czech Republic
The Czech government has organised three flights from Oman, Jordan and Egypt to evacuate 175 people stranded in the region, according to CTK news agency and government officials. More flights are planned.
Estonia
Estonia’s foreign ministry said on March 4 it had organised a flight with 180 seats from Muscat for March 5, and that this would be available to its citizens in Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
European Union coordination
The European Commission said it is coordinating repatriation flights under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism as more member states request help to evacuate citizens from the Middle East.
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania and Slovakia have activated the mechanism so far. Ten flights carrying over 1,000 EU citizens have already landed in Europe, an EU spokesperson said on March 6.
Finland
Finland will organise a single repatriation flight with about 160 seats for the roughly 3,000 Finnish citizens currently in the United Arab Emirates, the foreign ministry said. The flight will depart from Muscat, Oman, on March 7 and March 8.
Finnair
FinnAir said on March 6 that it was preparing to operate flights from Muscat, Oman to Helsinki to bring home customers who have been stranded in Dubai. The first flight is scheduled for March 10, with more flights planned later in the week.
What steps has your government advised you to take if you are stranded due to flight disruptions in the Middle East?
