"People are panicking now, said Kirti Arora, 37, who was left stranded in Qatar's capital, Doha, along with her husband while they were en route from India's capital, New Delhi, to Spain's Madrid. Many are desperate to leave. We don't wish to leave the hotel and plan our own trip or route as there's a lot of stress at borders and explosions are happening at odd hours."
"More than 23,000 flights have been cancelled since the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on Saturday, according to analytics firm Cirium. Dozens of countries, including the US, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, have organised chartered flights to repatriate their citizens. But those efforts have been hampered by logistical challenges amid the near-shutdown of commercial aviation in one of the world's busiest regions for international travel."
"The US Department of State said on Thursday it would ramp up charter flights for its citizens, amid criticism of the Trump administration's lack of assistance for stranded travellers. Nearly 20,000 US citizens have returned to their country since the conflict began, according to the State Department, which announced the departure of its first chartered flight on Wednesday."
Following US-Israeli military operations against Iran, tens of thousands of travelers are stranded across the Middle East with limited commercial flight options. Regional airspace closures have forced over 23,000 flight cancellations, leaving only a handful of operational gateways including Dubai, Riyadh, and Muscat. Wealthy travelers are paying up to $200,000 to charter private flights, while governments including the US, UK, France, and Germany organize repatriation efforts. However, logistical challenges and ongoing security threats, including missile fire forcing aircraft to turn back, continue hampering evacuation efforts. The US State Department announced increased charter flights after criticism of insufficient assistance for stranded citizens.
#middle-east-conflict #flight-cancellations #stranded-travelers #private-charter-flights #repatriation-efforts
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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