"Since Saturday, at least 11,000 flights into, out of and within the Middle East have been cancelled, affecting more than 1 million passengers, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The travel chaos looks set to continue, with US president Donald Trump saying on Monday that the conflict had been projected to last four to five weeks but that it could go on longer."
"Late on Monday the US state department called on Americans to immediately depart more than a dozen countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, amid the spiralling conflict triggered by US-Israeli strikes against Iran on Saturday. Mora Namdar, the state department's assistant secretary for consular affairs, said US citizens should leave using available commercial transportation due to safety risks."
"In the UK, prime minister Keir Starmer said the government was sending rapid deployment teams to the region to support British nationals there, and wanted to ensure that they can return home as swiftly and safely as possible. He told MPs: We're asking all British citizens in the region to register their presence so we can provide the best possible support."
Following Iranian missile and drone strikes on Saturday, widespread travel disruption occurred across the Middle East. Airlines including Etihad Airways, Emirates, and FlyDubai began operating limited evacuation flights to extract stranded travellers. Over 11,000 flights were cancelled, affecting more than 1 million passengers. The US State Department urged Americans to immediately depart more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries using available commercial transportation due to safety risks, without organizing dedicated evacuation flights. The UK government deployed rapid deployment teams to support British nationals and requested citizens register their presence. US President Trump projected the conflict could last four to five weeks or longer. Etihad Airways successfully evacuated UK nationals from Abu Dhabi to London.
#middle-east-conflict #evacuation-flights #travel-disruption #iran-us-tensions #citizen-repatriation
Read at www.theguardian.com
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