The war in Iran is shaking up air travel, drawing tens of thousands in the Gulf region – Nationally
Tens of thousands of people, from Romanian pilgrims to tourists and family members of politicians, are stranded in the Middle East as the war with Iran spreads across the region.
Major airlines have canceled flights to and from the region, and airports across the Gulf have been closed. Some of those stranded have been forced to seek shelter amid airstrikes, while others are stuck on unseaworthy ships in the Strait of Hormuz right now.
On Monday, the US State Department urged all US citizens to leave more than a dozen countries in the Middle East because of the security risk due to the ongoing escalation that has dragged the region into great chaos.
US Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar said on social media X that Americans in countries including Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel should “GO NOW” using any available commercial transportation.
The State Department also evacuated non-emergency workers and families from six countries, adding the United Arab Emirates to its list on Tuesday. The UAE, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi and long considered a safe corner of the Middle East, has been drawn into Iran’s war on blockade and aggression.
In Israel, the American ambassador told Americans there that the best way to travel is through Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
Mike Huckabee posted on social media early Tuesday that the embassy was receiving many requests to evacuate as embassy staff “sheltered in place.”
“There are VERY LIMITED options,” he wrote. “I am not sure when Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv will reopen.” He advised Americans to take buses to the Egyptian resorts of Sharm el-Sheikh and Taba in southern Sinai.
Governments are trying to return citizens to their homes
Governments around the world are fighting to return their citizens to their countries.
In Italy, the government helped with flights to Milan and Rome following growing criticism of Defense Minister Guido Crosetto. The minister avoided political controversy at home after being stranded in Dubai with his family during the ongoing US-Israeli invasion of Iran.
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Crosetto returned to Rome on Sunday by military plane. The left-wing opposition group has called for Crosetto to step down, saying he should not have gone to the Middle East during a crisis. Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni defended him.
An estimated 30,000 German tourists were stranded on cruise ships, hotels or closed airports in the Middle East, and the first flight from Dubai to Frankfurt, Germany, was expected to land on Tuesday afternoon.
The German government also wants to charge airlines at taxpayers’ expense to get vulnerable people – including sick travelers, children and pregnant people – back home.
France is also trying to organize the return of thousands of French nationals, the country’s foreign minister said on Tuesday. An estimated 200,000 French people live in the area affected by the conflict, and authorities believe that around 25,000 French citizens are currently visiting the area.
Returning travelers feel comfortable
On Tuesday morning, Romanian tourists arrived in Bucharest after leaving Israel for Cairo to escape the war. Hundreds of Romanian Orthodox Church pilgrims were stranded in Israel while visiting Bethlehem on a tour led by Romanian priests when the war broke out. The group was forced to cut short their trip and return to Romania.
Pilgrim Mariana Muicaru said she was shocked when she was in Israel as rockets flew in the sky.
“We called our children at 3 in the morning to ask for their forgiveness because we might die and to tell them that we love them and to tell them that it’s over for us,” he told the Associated Press.
Last night, British travelers stranded in the United Arab Emirates were relieved to arrive safely at London’s Heathrow Airport.
Adam Barton, who was traveling with his family from Abu Dhabi, said he was getting warnings as he was at the airport before he left.
“We had an alert on our phone, telling us to move away from the windows to attack the missiles,” Barton told Sky News.
Meanwhile, the flight from Dubai arrived in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, on Tuesday morning with about 200 passengers.
One traveler told the state’s RTS broadcaster that he was at a waiting hotel and was given 15 minutes to pack.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
