A small number of evacuation flights left the United Arab Emirates on Monday as travellers stranded by a widening Middle East conflict began departing, even while most commercial air traffic across the region remained suspended.
The U.S. State Department urged Americans in 13 countries — including the UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon and Oman — to “depart now via commercial means due to serious safety risks.” Sweeping airspace closures and mass cancellations, however, left few practical options for many people trying to follow that guidance.
Since U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran and retaliatory attacks on Israel and Gulf states began Saturday, commercial flights have been halted or severely curtailed, leaving tourists, business travellers, migrant workers and pilgrims stranded in hotels, airports and aboard cruise ships. Airspace over Iran, Iraq and Israel remained closed on Monday; Jordan began a temporary closure Monday afternoon. Other Gulf states, including Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, reported partial or temporary restrictions that could be extended, according to Flightradar24. Aviation analytics firm Cirium estimated roughly 13,000 of about 32,000 scheduled flights into and out of the Middle East since Saturday had been cancelled.
Evacuation flights began on a limited scale, likely with government backing and some financial risk assumed by carriers or their home countries. Henry Harteveldt, president of Atmosphere Research Group, said airlines are unlikely to resume normal services until they are confident the risk of attack is effectively zero.
Long-haul carriers Etihad Airways and Emirates, based in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and budget carrier FlyDubai announced limited departures from the UAE, where air-defence systems had been deployed to intercept Iranian missiles and drones. Flightradar24 showed at least 16 Etihad departures from Abu Dhabi in a three-hour window on Monday, with planes headed to Islamabad, Paris, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Moscow and London, though Etihad’s website said regular scheduled service remained suspended until Wednesday afternoon. Emirates said customers with earlier bookings would get priority on a set of limited flights beginning Monday evening. FlyDubai planned four outbound and five inbound flights. Dubai Airports warned passengers to travel to terminals only if their airline had confirmed operations.
The disruption has been wide-reaching because Gulf hubs connect Europe, Africa and Asia. Dubai International Airport handled a record 95.2 million passengers last year, making it the world’s busiest airport for international travel.
Individuals described hurried departures and worried families. Georgetown law student Leela Rao, 29, reached an Etihad flight to Delhi after shelter-in-place alerts and explosions in Abu Dhabi, and said passengers applauded on arrival. The Association of Tennis Professionals said former U.S. Open champion Daniil Medvedev was among a small number of players and staff it was helping to leave Dubai. Scotland resident Faizan Khalid, his wife and their 6-month-old daughter were stuck in Lahore when a Dubai-connecting flight was cancelled; they are concerned as baby formula supplies run low. Writer Hen Mazzig, stranded in Tel Aviv, described rearranging plans and counting his blessings.
Governments scrambled to organise aid, evacuations and repatriation flights. Israel’s El Al said it is preparing a large “recovery operation” to bring stranded passengers home once Ben Gurion Airport reopens, with initial flights expected from New York, London, Paris, Rome and Los Angeles; El Al and its subsidiary Sundor said affected customers would not be charged for seats on those flights. The U.S. urged Americans needing help arranging commercial travel to contact the State Department. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer warned the situation “may remain challenging for some time” as the UK considers options to support its citizens.
Several countries updated advisories and repatriation plans. The Philippines raised its travel advisory for the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, triggering an automatic deployment ban for newly hired Filipino workers. Indonesia reported more than 58,000 citizens stranded in Saudi Arabia after visiting holy sites during Ramzan and said thousands were also stuck on Bali because of cancellations. Germany said about 30,000 German tourists were stranded across the Middle East and plans to send aircraft to Oman and Saudi Arabia to evacuate ill travellers, children and pregnant people while coordinating with airlines for others. The Czech Republic said it would dispatch planes to Egypt, Jordan and Oman to repatriate citizens, and Britain said it was preparing a range of options, including possible evacuations, after more than 102,000 people registered their presence in the region.
