Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 3, 2026
5 min readLast updated: April 2, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleCountries are scrambling to repatriate stranded citizens amid Middle East airspace closures after U.S.‑Israeli strikes on Iran. With commercial flights grounded, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, and others are exploring evacuation plans via charters, land routes, or when airlines resume.
March 10 (Reuters) - Commercial flights in parts of the Middle East have been grounded due to the escalating conflict following U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran, stranding foreign nationals and prompting governments to plan repatriations.
Below is what governments have said about repatriation plans:
Austria's foreign ministry said it had helped 117 vulnerable citizens leave the UAE and Israel via neighbouring states and had planned a first charter flight from Muscat on March 4 for 170 people, while warning that land departures would be undertaken at travellers' own risk.
Three flights by GullivAir, Bulgaria Air and the State Aviation Operator planned to return Bulgarian citizens from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Oman on March 4 and March 5, including a 326‑seat GullivAir flight from Dubai, a Bulgaria Air Boeing 737 rotation via Oman, and a 90‑seat government aircraft from Abu Dhabi.
The Czech government has arranged 10 repatriation flights to return more than 1,500 stranded citizens, the Foreign Ministry said on March 9.
Estonia's foreign ministry on March 4 said it had organised a 180-seat flight from Muscat the following day, available to its citizens in Oman and the United Arab Emirates.
The European Commission has said it is coordinating repatriation flights under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism as more member states request help.
The EU has supported so far more than 42 flights, bringing over 4,100 Europeans safely back to Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Sweden, a statement from the European Commission said on March 9.
Finland planned a single repatriation flight with about 160 seats on March 8 for the roughly 3,000 Finnish citizens stranded in the United Arab Emirates, the foreign ministry said.
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.
The French foreign minister said several repatriation flights for French nationals, around 400,000 of whom are in the region, were planned from March 4.
France said it had deployed consular teams at Israel's borders with Egypt and Jordan to facilitate land exits so people can fly onward, and has put in place a similar mechanism in the UAE at borders with Oman and Saudi Arabia, where airspace has remained open.
Two flights with about 250 people were scheduled for March 5 and March 6 from the Gulf, after the first landed March 5 in Frankfurt, said German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul.
Greek foreign ministry said it has repatriated hundreds of citizens from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Jerusalem, Oman and the UAE during last week.
87 people were repatriated on March 4 from Amman, Jordan, with another flight carrying 88 people planned for March 5, Hungary's foreign ministry said in a statement.
Another flight was scheduled for March 6 from Sharm-el Sheikh, Egypt. Hungary rented a Flydubai plane for March 5 and March 6 to repatriate Hungarians from Dubai. Hungary had two flights each on March 7 and March 8 leaving from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Italy's foreign ministry said about 25,000 Italians have returned from the Middle East on commercial flights facilitated by the ministry.
It has expanded consular staffing in Oman and the UAE and is coordinating returns across multiple countries, with large groups moving from the UAE and others travelling by land through Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Italians in Oman, Israel, the Maldives and Thailand are also getting help.
The Dutch government on Friday said it was preparing to use its military to repatriate its citizens from countries they cannot leave on their own. No details on specific countries and timing were given.
The first group of Polish citizens evacuated by military airlift from the Middle East arrived in Poland on March 6, the Operational Command of the Polish Armed Forces said.
A charter TAP flight carrying 139 Portuguese citizens and eight foreigners landed in Lisbon on March 6, with Portugal's foreign ministry planning further repatriations.
Romania's foreign ministry said on March 4 airline FlyDubai has scheduled two flights to Bucharest on March 4 and March 5. It had received more than 3,000 repatriation requests and had around 16,000 nationals registered in the region.
An Air Serbia flight from Sharm el-Sheikh landed in Belgrade early on March 4, carrying 67 passengers, all evacuated from Israel.
The government will deploy an air force A330 multi-role aircraft to support the assisted departure of Singaporeans from Riyadh on March 10, with a second flight from Saudi Arabia planned for March 12, the foreign affairs ministry said on Facebook.
Slovakia's government has carried out 15 repatriation flights since evacuations started, transporting 641 people, most of whom were Slovak nationals, the Foreign Ministry said on March 9. It is planning more flights.
Slovenia organised four buses on March 3, escorted by police, to take Slovenian citizens and families with children from Dubai to Muscat airport in Oman, the prime minister's office said in a statement.
The first flight for Slovenia was organised on March 3, with two more flights scheduled for March 4.
Spain has begun evacuating its citizens from the Middle East on March 3, with more than 175 Spaniards arriving on a flight from Abu Dh
Countries including Australia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Philippines, Spain, and Slovenia are evaluating or initiating repatriation plans for their citizens stranded in the Middle East due to flight disruptions.
Airspace closures over much of the Middle East as a result of escalating conflict are preventing commercial and government-operated evacuation flights.
European countries like France and Germany are preparing charter flights and deploying consular teams at borders to help citizens leave affected regions and reach outbound flights.
Repatriation flights are being prioritized for vulnerable citizens such as children, pregnant women, and people with disabilities; most depend on the reopening of commercial airspace.
About 115,000 Australians are believed to be in the Middle East, according to the Australian Foreign Minister.
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