PARIS – A significant international evacuation operation is underway as nations worldwide scramble to repatriate citizens stranded across the Middle East following the outbreak of hostilities triggered by U.S.-Israeli military strikes against Iran. The conflict, now entering its fifth day, has created unprecedented aviation disruptions with tens of thousands of travelers facing extended ordeals to reach safety.
According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, the regional air travel network has been severely compromised with over 20,000 of the scheduled 36,000 flights to and from the Middle East cancelled since Saturday. While limited commercial operations have cautiously resumed from major hubs including Dubai and Riyadh, governments have simultaneously deployed charter flights to extract their nationals from the turmoil.
The human dimension of the crisis emerged at airports globally as evacuated passengers shared harrowing accounts of their experiences. Max Lin, a Taiwanese student, described the moment his travel plans unraveled during a layover in Dubai. ‘My friend messaged me asking if anything had happened where I was,’ Lin recounted after arriving on the first direct Emirates flight from Dubai to Taiwan since the conflict began. ‘I looked it up and realized there seemed to be a war.’
Fanny Wu, who was visiting Dubai with her two children, provided a chilling testimony: ‘Bombs were going off right next to us. Although Taiwan has always been close to war, we had never experienced anything like this.’
The multinational evacuation effort has seen remarkable coordination. Russia evacuated 117 citizens, including 54 children, from Azerbaijan after they crossed overland from Iran. France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United States have organized special flights from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
Eighteen-year-old Emmy Coutelier described the surreal experience of hearing alarms in Dubai: ‘An alarm sounded in the middle of the night telling us not to stay near the windows. We went down to the basement.’ She characterized her evacuation flight as ‘fleeing danger, even though it’s a relatively safe country.’
French government minister Eleonore Caroit acknowledged the complexity of the operation, noting it involves ‘constant uncertainty because we are in a very fluid situation.’
The United States reported that more than 9,000 Americans had returned from the region since Saturday, with the State Department urging citizens throughout the eastern Middle East to depart for their safety.
Aviation data reveals the extent of the disruption: air traffic remains virtually grounded in Qatar and Bahrain, while Israel and the UAE have cancelled approximately 75% and 68% of flights respectively. In a developing development, Israel announced it would gradually reopen its airspace overnight Wednesday, initially permitting one narrow-body aircraft per hour exclusively for repatriation flights.
The situation remains highly volatile with transport officials emphasizing that all measures remain ‘subject to security developments’ as the conflict continues to evolve.