Repatriation flights return citizens from the Middle East: What travelers need to know
Countries around the world are still working to safely return nationals stranded by war in the Middle East, with more evacuation flights set to take off in the coming days.
However, the situation remains challenging and flight schedules are likely to be disrupted for some time, with US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth telling media Thursday night that the fight has “only just begun.”
The first chartered evacuation flight carrying hundreds of American citizens arrived in the US Thursday afternoon, flying from Abu Dhabi and landing at Dulles International Airport near Washington, DC.
Here’s what travelers need to know.
Evacuations underway
Many countries have started repatriating stranded nationals. The UK’s first evacuation charter flight from Oman landed Friday morning following a 24-hour delay.
More than 4,000 people have now arrived back in the United Kingdom on commercial flights from the UAE, with more charter flights arranged for the coming days, Prime Minister Keir Starmer told media Thursday.
At least six flights supported by the European Commission have left the region since Wednesday, bringing European citizens back home to Bulgaria, Italy, Austria and Slovakia, the European Commission has said. Additional repatriation flights are planned in the coming days, a statement on Thursday said.
On Friday morning, Australia’s foreign minister said four flights had already departed the region, with four more planned for the next 24 hours.
Passengers from the first government‑chartered flight for British nationals arrive at London Stansted Airport from Oman amid the conflict with Iran, on March 6, 2026. - Isabel Infantes/Reuters
The US embassy in Israel announced it’s now offering a bus service to the Egyptian border for American citizens wanting to leave the country. The service will leave from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, taking Americans to the Taba border crossing.
Canadian nationals in Israel will be also be bused to the Egyptian border. In Beirut, limited numbers are being put on planes. The Canadian government is also trying to arrange charter flights out of the UAE as the airspace begins to open, Foreign Minister Anita Anand said at a press conference earlier this week.
New Zealand has sent two defense force planes to the region to potentially assist with evacuations.
What is the current aviation situation?
Thousands of international flights have been canceled each day since Sunday, according to data from FlightAware.com, with the chaos likely to continue into the coming days for those still struggling to get out.
At one stage, more than 20,000 travelers were trapped in key hubs in the United Arab Emirates, home to major airlines, including Emirates and Etihad in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Thousands more were in Doha, the base for Qatar Airways.
All three of those cities are major global hubs, with millions of passengers transiting through them each year.
Emirates, which had suspended all flights to and from its bases, is now operating a reduced flight schedule until further notice.
The Dubai Airports website advises travelers not to proceed to the airport unless they have received a confirmed departure time directly from their airline.
A passenger walks in the Dubai International Airport building as the airport resumes limited operations in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, March 5, 2026. - Altaf Qadri/AP
Etihad Airways is expecting to resume a “limited commercial flight schedule” on Friday for Etihad customers with previous bookings, the airline said in a statement.
Qatar Airways flights to and from Doha’s Hamad International Airport remain suspended. However, the airline has started operating a limited number of relief flights departing from Muscat in Oman and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to aid stranded passengers.
Israeli flag carrier El Al is working to repatriate its customers as well, with the airline’s first rescue flight, from Athens, landing at Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv Thursday morning. “We are working to place all El Al passengers whose flights were canceled on rescue flights, at no additional cost,” said a statement from the airline.
Outside the region, other airlines continue to reroute or cancel flights that had been scheduled to fly near the conflict zone.
German airline Lufthansa, for instance, has suspended regular flights to and from several destinations within the region. Lufthansa flights to and from Larnaca in Cyprus will resume as of March 7. The carrier’s flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi are suspended up to and including March 10, and flights to and from Tehran are suspended up to and including March 30.
Affected travelers are advised to check with their airline or travel agent as soon as possible for information on rebooking and refunds, though airlines warn they are receiving high volumes of calls so wait times may be longer than usual.
Policies vary according to the airline, with options including refunds or fee-free rebooking.
What are governments advising?
The State Department has urged US citizens to leave a number of countries in the Middle East “due to serious safety risks.”
US citizens in Israel, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates should fill out a crisis intake form to “receive departure assistance information from the Department of State about available aviation and ground transportation options,” the department said.
Americans in other countries who wish to receive assistance are still told to call the 24/7 hotline: +1-202-501-4444.
Emirates and Qatar Airways planes sit on the tarmac at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport in Sydney, Australia, March 3, 2026. - Hollie Adams/Reuters
The State Department had earlier called on US citizens to depart “using available commercial travel” from Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Other nations have issued similar warnings as they work to assist stranded travelers in the region.
Canada’s government posted a notice on X advising travelers to “leave the United Arab Emirates as soon as you can secure a flight option.” It has also advised Canadians to avoid all travel to Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Palestinian territories, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and the UAE and to avoid nonessential travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
The United Kingdom’s government says British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestinian territories, Qatar and the UAE should register their presence to receive direct updates from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The Australian government has opened an emergency portal for citizens in Israel, Iran, Qatar and the UAE, and warned its citizens overseas to be prepared for serious travel disruptions in the days ahead.
Australians have been advised not to travel to most destinations in the Middle East. This includes Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestinian territories, Qatar, Syria, the UAE and Yemen. They should also reconsider the need to travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
What about cruises?
Cruise ships in the region have also been affected, with thousands of passengers and crew waiting on vessels that have been waylaid in ports in the UAE and Qatar.
Among them is the Mein Schiff 5, operated by Germany-based TUI Cruises, which is now in Doha Port after completing its itinerary. TUI has canceled other cruises scheduled to commence in the region in coming days.
Mein Schiff 5, with 2,500 passengers and 1,000 crew, is docked at Colombo Port in Sri Lanka on November 29, 2022. - Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto/Getty Images
TUI Cruises said that a special Emirates flight departed from Dubai to Munich with 218 guests from Mein Schiff 4, its vessel in Abu Dhabi.
Swiss-Italian operator MSC Cruises said its vessel, the MSC Euribia, is remaining in Dubai following guidance from US regional military authorities, according to Reuters.
On Thursday, the company said in a statement it’s “launching a dedicated flight operation that currently includes five charter flights.” The first charter flight is planned to depart March 5.
“These flights would see close to 1,000 guests leave the region by Saturday,” said the cruise line.
CNN’s Mitchell McCluskey, Kylie Atwood, Sharon Braithwaite, James Frater, Jennifer Hansler, Kaanita Iyer, Trista Kurniawan, Rhea Mogul, Maureen O’Hare, Rebekah Riess, Laura Sharman, Billy Stockwell, Francesca Street, Paula Newton, Dana Karni and Hilary Whiteman contributed to this report.
