A partial reopening of airspace in the region has been announced. The repatriation effort has begun and is now picking up pace, with the likes of MSC Cruises, Emirates and Qatar Airways accelerating their efforts. Here is the latest round-up…
MSC Cruises has begun repatriating passengers through the use of charter flights, and is still talking to partner airlines regarding the use of commercial flights. In a statement, the cruise line said: “MSC Cruises has been working on the safest and quickest way to repatriate our guests and has taken decisive action to accelerate this by launching a dedicated flight operation that currently includes five charter flights with the first flight planned to depart today, Thursday 5th March. These flights would see close to 1,000 guests leave the region by Saturday. In parallel, MSC Cruises is pursuing every available pathway for the remaining guests – including commercial flights, further charter options and coordinated government-assisted solutions.”
Emirates has said it has restarted a reduced commercial schedule, with more than 100 flights planned to depart Dubai today and tomorrow. In a statement, the Dubai-based airline giant said: “Emirates can confirm that it is currently operating a reduced flight schedule until further notice. This follows the partial re-opening of regional airspace for the safe conduct of commercial flights. For 5 and 6 March, over 100 flights will depart from Dubai and return. These flights will carry people eager to reach their final destinations, as well as essential cargo like perishables and pharmaceuticals. Emirates will continue to gradually build back its flying schedule, subject to airspace availability and all operational requirements being met. Safety is always our top priority. We continue to monitor the situation and adapt our operations accordingly. For now, customers should only proceed to the airport if they have a confirmed booking. We urge all customers to check emirates.com and our official social media channels, where we will publish the latest updates.”
Budget airline Wizz Air has issued a profit warning, saying the conflict will hit its net profit to the tune of €50m. However, Jozsef Varadi – the CEO of the Eastern European carrier which largely flies to destinations across the Middle East, Africa and Asia – said he expects the effects of the war to ease by April.
KLM is continuing with its repatriation flights for Dutch nationals in the region from Oman‘s capital Muscat to Amsterdam Schiphol, via Cairo, with only those already registered with the Netherlands Government eligible to fly.
Qatar Airways flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace. The airline said it will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace by the relevant authorities. However, Qatar has – as of today – begun a limited number of relief flights for stranded tourists from Muscat to London, Berlin, Copenhagen, Madrid, Rome and Amsterdam; and one flight from Riyadh to Frankfurt. The airline said: “Passengers are kindly requested not to proceed to the airport unless they have received an official notification from Qatar Airways for these flights. Qatar Airways will contact affected passengers directly with their assigned flight details, travel arrangements and next steps.”
