An Airbus A380-800 passenger plane of Emirates Airline. PHOTO: Olaf Schuelke / Alamy / Profimedia
As tensions in the Middle East escalate, tens of thousands of passengers have been stranded in the Persian Gulf, with few options to leave a region suddenly engulfed in war.
LIVE Middle East War Day 5: US Defense Secretary Announces What's Next: “Death and destruction from the skies. All day.”
As of 12:20 p.m. UAE time on Wednesday, only 42 passenger flights had left Dubai and Abu Dhabi in their scheduled departure times, with a total estimated number of about 14,000 passengers on board, notes Air Charter Service (ACS), a platform that, following the recent escalation of the conflict in the Middle East, monitors the situation and provides support for requests for charter transport of passengers and cargo to and from the region.
For those looking to leave the UAE, Muscat in Oman is currently the best location for evacuation charter flights.
Riyadh is also an option for travelers holding the visa required to enter via the land border, although it is further away.
Below, the latest regional airspace updates:
- United Arab Emirates – airspace is open;
- Saudi Arabia – space is open;
- Egypt – space is open;
- Israel – airspace is closed;
- Oman – space is open;
- Kuwait – space is closed;
- Qatar – space is closed;
- Jordan – space is open;
- Lebanon – space is open;
- Bahrain – space is closed;
- Iraq – space is closed;
- Syria – space is closed;
- Turkey – space is open;
- Iran – space is closed;
- Cyprus – space is open;
- Yemen – airspace is restricted.
CNAB: 29 races, canceled on Wednesday
A number of 29 flights to or from Egypt, Israel, Dubai, Qatar, Lebanon and Cyprus are canceled on Wednesday, as a result of the events in the Middle East, announced the Bucharest National Airport Company (CNAB).
It is about 14 takeoffs and 15 landings of flights belonging to the air operators Anima Wings, El Al-Israel Airlines, Fly One Romania, FlyDubay, Hisky Europe, Qatar Airways, Ryanair, TAROM and Wizz Air Malta.
The Ministry of Transport recommended that Romanian citizens who have planned trips to the state of Israel or neighboring states directly affected by the conflict to cancel or reschedule these trips for a later date.
On Saturday morning, Israel and the United States launched massive airstrikes against Iran, with explosions reported in Tehran and other cities such as Tabriz and Isfahan.
Iran responded by launching missiles and drones against US military bases in Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and military centers in Israel.
