Stranded UAE Residents Begin Return via Special and Charter Flights

Despite the suspension of most scheduled flights due to regional airspace closures, UAE citizens and residents stranded abroad have begun returning home via special and charter flights.

According to media reports, travel agencies have announced that Emirati travelers facing flight cancellations abroad are now returning home using charter services from local and regional airlines.

While the primary demand for outbound travel continues to come from tourists, UAE residents and citizens have also been steadily returning to the country since March 2nd via special direct flights and through transit routes via Oman. Return flights primarily operate through Dubai, Fujairah, and Ras Al Khaimah airports. Airlines and travel agencies have emphasized that their current priority is to accommodate passengers whose flights were previously canceled.

UAE Minister of Economy Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri announced at a press conference on Tuesday that the country, in coordination with other countries in the region, has established safe air corridors that currently have the capacity to safely manage 48 flights per hour, with the possibility of increasing this capacity if needed. According to him, a total of 17,498 passengers were transported via 60 flights from March 1st to 3rd.

Raheesh Babu, Chief Operating Officer of a travel company in the UAE, referring to the launch of special charter flights from Fujairah for stranded passengers, said: "We also have charter services with Oman Air and SalamAir from Muscat, which allows passengers to connect to destinations around the world." He added that priority for these flights is given to emergency passengers, those with expiring visas, and medical cases. Meanwhile, reports indicate that most residents within the UAE have postponed their leisure travel plans and prefer to wait until conditions normalize.

The Oman transit route is currently one of the most frequently used options. According to travel experts, flights with stopovers in Muscat are cheaper than direct flights, and there is demand for travel, but there is no panic in the market and the situation is well-organized. Companies such as flydubai, SalamAir, and SpiceJet are also organizing return flights for passengers.

Regarding flights between India and the UAE, Air India Express announced that it will operate special flights from Ras Al Khaimah to Delhi, Kochi, and Mumbai until March 7th to assist residents who traveled for vacation and now wish to return. Tickets for flights from India to the UAE are being sold at lower prices than flights departing from the UAE.