Evacuation Efforts Continue Amid Ongoing Conflict
Countries around the world are working to safely return their citizens who have been stranded due to ongoing conflict in the Middle East. New evacuation flights are being planned and will take off in the coming days, but the situation remains complex and unpredictable. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that the challenges ahead are just beginning.
The first chartered evacuation flight carrying hundreds of American citizens arrived in the United States on Thursday afternoon. The flight departed from Abu Dhabi and landed at Dulles International Airport near Washington, DC. Here’s what travelers need to know about the current evacuation efforts.
Evacuations Underway
Several countries have initiated evacuation operations for their citizens. The UK’s first evacuation charter flight from Oman landed in the UK on Friday morning after a 24-hour delay. Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed that more charter flights are planned for the coming days.
European citizens have returned home to Bulgaria, Italy, Austria, and Slovakia via at least six flights supported by the European Commission. Additional repatriation flights are expected in the coming days, according to a statement from the commission.
Australia’s foreign minister announced that four flights had already departed the region, with four more planned within 24 hours. The US embassy in Israel has also introduced bus services to the Egyptian border for American citizens wanting to leave the country. These services will operate from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, taking Americans to the Taba border crossing.
Canadian nationals in Israel will also be bused to the Egyptian border. In Beirut, limited numbers of Canadians were being put on planes. The Canadian government is working to arrange charter flights out of the UAE as airspace opens, according to Foreign Minister Anita Anand.
New Zealand has sent two defense force planes to the region to potentially assist with evacuations.
Current Aviation Situation
Thousands of international flights have been canceled each day since Sunday, according to data from FlightAware.com. The chaos is expected to continue into the coming days for those still trying to leave the region.
At one point, more than 20,000 travelers were trapped in key hubs in the United Arab Emirates, home to major airlines such as Emirates and Etihad in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Thousands more were in Doha, the base for Qatar Airways.
All three cities are major global hubs, with millions of passengers transiting through them each year. Emirates, which had suspended all flights to and from its bases, is now operating a reduced flight schedule.
Dubai Airports advises travelers not to proceed to the airport unless they have received a confirmed departure time directly from their airline.
Etihad Airways resumed a “limited commercial flight schedule” on Friday. “Guests with previous bookings will be accommodated on these flights as soon as possible,” the airline’s website says. Etihad is also selling tickets.
Qatar Airways’ scheduled operations remained suspended through Friday. Operational updates will be posted here. However, the airline started operating a limited number of relief flights on Thursday departing from Muscat in Oman and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to aid stranded passengers. An update on Friday said the airline is working “around the clock” to organize more relief flights.
Israeli flag carrier El Al is working to repatriate its customers as well, with the airline’s first rescue flight, from Athens, landing at Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv on Thursday morning.
El Al said Friday that it would begin carrying passengers, limited to 70 per flight, on its outbound flights from Israel starting the morning of Sunday, March 8.
“El Al will proactively contact customers who are not residents of Israel, are currently in Israel and whose flight home was canceled, and will assign them at no additional cost to the recovery flights departing to one of the 22 destinations to which EL AL is operating recovery flights,” the airline said in a social media post, which offered more details about how passengers would be prioritized.
Outside the region, other airlines continue to reroute or cancel flights that had been scheduled to fly near the conflict zone.
German airline Lufthansa has suspended regular flights to and from several destinations within the region. Lufthansa plans to resume flights to and from Larnaca in Cyprus on March 7, with flights in and out of some other affected destinations suspended through March 10 or beyond.
Affected travelers are advised to check with their airline or travel agent as soon as possible for information on rebooking and refunds, though airlines warn they are receiving high volumes of calls so wait times may be longer than usual.
Policies vary according to the airline, with options including refunds or fee-free rebooking.
Government Advisories
The State Department has urged US citizens to leave a number of countries in the Middle East “due to serious safety risks.” State Department security and travel information listed by country is posted online.
US citizens in countries including Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates should fill out a crisis intake form to “receive departure assistance information from the Department of State about available aviation and ground transportation options,” the department said.
Americans in countries not listed on the crisis intake site who wish to receive assistance can call the 24/7 hotline: +1-202-501-4444.
The State Department had earlier called on US citizens to depart “using available commercial travel” from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Other nations have issued similar warnings as they work to assist stranded travelers in the region.
Canada’s government posted a notice on X advising travelers to “leave the United Arab Emirates as soon as you can secure a flight option.” It has also advised Canadians to avoid all travel to Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Palestinian territories, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, and the UAE and to avoid nonessential travel to Jordan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.
The United Kingdom’s government says British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestinian territories, Qatar, and the UAE should register their presence to receive direct updates from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The Australian government has opened an emergency portal for citizens in Israel, Iran, Qatar, and the UAE, and warned its citizens overseas to be prepared for serious travel disruptions in the days ahead.
Australians have been advised not to travel to most destinations in the Middle East. This includes Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestinian territories, Qatar, Syria, the UAE, and Yemen. They should also reconsider the need to travel to Jordan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.
Impact on Cruises
Cruise ships in the region have also been affected, with thousands of passengers and crew waiting on vessels that have been waylaid in ports in the UAE and Qatar.
Among them is the Mein Schiff 5, operated by Germany-based TUI Cruises, which is now in Doha Port after completing its itinerary. TUI has canceled other cruises scheduled to commence in the region in coming days.
TUI Cruises said that a special Emirates flight departed from Dubai to Munich with 218 guests from Mein Schiff 4, its vessel in Abu Dhabi.
Swiss-Italian operator MSC Cruises said its vessel, the MSC Euribia, is remaining in Dubai following guidance from US regional military authorities, according to Reuters.
On Friday, the company said in a statement that seven flights carrying MSC Euribia passengers had departed the region.
“These flights include dedicated charter services operated at MSC Cruises’ expense, seats secured in partnership with Emirates and Fly Dubai on scheduled commercial services, as well as some government‑organised flights,” said the cruise line, adding that travelers have been repatriated to countries including the UK, Italy, Germany, Spain, the US, and Brazil.
