Tens of thousands of people stuck in the Middle East because of the war. What are governments doing to bring them home?

Dozens of repatriation flights were due to leave the Middle East on Wednesday, as the governments of many countries rushed to bring home tens of thousands of citizens stranded by the escalating conflict between the US, Israel and Iran, writes Reuters.

LIVE Middle East War Day 5: US Defense Secretary Announces What's Next: “Death and destruction from the skies. All day.”

Commercial air traffic was largely absent across much of the region, with major Gulf hubs – including Dubai, the world's busiest airport for international passengers – largely shut down for a fifth straight day, in the worst disruption to air traffic since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first repatriation flights for Britain and France were due to depart on Wednesday, while the United Arab Emirates opened safe air corridors to allow some citizens to return home.

Under normal circumstances, thousands of commercial flights would depart from the region each day.

Some stranded tourists, as well as employees of large international companies, also tried to find a way out on their own.

“We are doing this with caution,” French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said. The French government said more repatriation flights were planned for Wednesday for its citizens, some 400,000 of whom are in the region.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Wednesday that he had authorized the use of military aircraft to support the evacuation of Polish citizens from the Middle East.

The British Foreign Office said a charter flight would leave Oman on Wednesday evening, with priority given to vulnerable British citizens.

Emirates, the world's largest international airline, said routes to and from Dubai remain suspended until March 7, adding that it operates a limited schedule of flights from Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International Airport.

The Czech Republic organized three government evacuation flights from Oman, Jordan and Egypt, bringing home 175 people, with more operations planned. Smartwings airline also operates return flights from Oman and Dubai, according to CTK news agency and a government official.

Slovakia said it had evacuated 127 people — mostly Slovak citizens, along with four Czechs and a Kazakh national — on two flights from Jordan that landed on Tuesday and was preparing additional missions.

New Zealand said a total of 121 repatriation planes were expected to take off from Dubai International Airport on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Qantas was operating extra flights to repatriate British nationals stranded in Australia, but had to divert them to Singapore for refuelling, as an alternative to the usual Middle East hubs.

Given the severe airspace restrictions, many airlines carry extra fuel or make extra refueling stops to guard against sudden diversions or longer flight routes through safer corridors.

Air France announced on Wednesday that it had extended the suspension of flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh until March 6, and that it had also extended the suspension of services to Tel Aviv and Beirut until March 8.

Airline stocks were less volatile on Wednesday after double-digit percentage declines in recent days that have wiped tens of billions of dollars from the market value of airline operators.

Lufthansa was up 3 percent at 13:06 GMT, while Qantas closed down 2.7 percent after losing more than 10 percent of its value this week. IAG, the owner of British Airways, rose 2 percent after falling more than 13 percent in the past three days.

Airline executives say crews and pilots are now scattered around the world, complicating the process of resuming flights as airspace reopens. Rising oil prices will also contribute to increased costs for carriers.

Analysts say flights will become more expensive if longer routes become the only options for international carriers.

The Persian Gulf is also a major hub for air cargo, putting additional pressure on international trade routes following the disruption of Red Sea sea routes.

Shares of US airlines United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines all rose in morning trading.

Asian airline stocks

Most Asian airline stocks recovered from losses earlier in the week, although Korean Air Lines shares fell 7.9% after a 10.3% drop on Tuesday.

South Korea's stock market was closed on Monday as most airline and travel company stocks bore the brunt of the conflict.

Oil prices rose sharply this week, with Brent crude up about 14% after the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, which could drive up fuel costs for airlines.

Hedging is expected to help mitigate some of the cost increases.

“Recent guidance indicates that airlines have covered about 50% of their jet fuel needs. In general, they should be able to pass on the difference in price increases to passengers,” said Lorraine Tan, director of equity research at Morningstar.