More than a third of flights to the Middle East were canceled on Tuesday, leaving tens of thousands of people, from Romanian religious pilgrims to tourists and family members of diplomats, stranded in the Middle East, as the war in Iran spreads across the region, UNN reports with reference to AP.
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Major airlines have canceled flights to and from the region, and airspace over the Persian Gulf has been closed. Some of those stranded have been forced to seek shelter during airstrikes, while others are stuck on cruise ships that are currently unable to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Nearly 1,900 of the more than 5,450 flights scheduled for the Middle East were canceled on Tuesday," said Cirium, an aviation analytics company.
On Monday, the US State Department took a significant step, urging all US citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries due to security risks posed by the escalating conflict that has plunged the region into significant chaos.
Meanwhile, in Israel, the US ambassador told Americans that the best way to leave was through Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
Governments around the world are trying to repatriate their citizens.
In Italy, the government helped with flights to Milan and Rome after growing criticism of the country's defense minister, Guido Crosetto. The minister caused a political controversy at home after being stranded in Dubai with his family during the initial phase of the US-Israeli attack on Iran. Crosetto returned to Rome on Sunday by military plane. The left-wing opposition called for Crosetto's resignation, saying he should not have traveled to the Middle East during the crisis. Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni defended him.
An estimated 30,000 German tourists remained on cruise ships, in hotels, or at closed airports in the Middle East, and the first plane from Dubai to Frankfurt, Germany, was scheduled to land on Tuesday afternoon.
The German government is also seeking to charter taxpayer-funded planes to bring home vulnerable people, including sick travelers, children, and pregnant women.
France is also trying to organize the return of thousands of French citizens, the country's foreign minister said on Tuesday. An estimated 200,000 French citizens live in the conflict-affected region, and authorities believe that approximately 25,000 French citizens are currently visiting the area.
Early on Tuesday, Romanian tourists arrived in Bucharest after traveling from Israel to Cairo to avoid the conflict. Hundreds of Romanian Orthodox Church pilgrims were stranded in Israel while visiting Bethlehem as part of a trip led by Romanian priests when the war broke out. The group was forced to cut short their trip and return to Romania.
The previous night, British travelers trapped in the United Arab Emirates were relieved to land safely at London's Heathrow Airport.
Meanwhile, a flight from Dubai landed in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, early on Tuesday with approximately 200 passengers.
Also, Iran began the process of returning Iranian pilgrims from the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, state media reported on Tuesday. Alireza Enayati, Iran's ambassador to Saudi Arabia, said that the process of returning 9,000 Iranians currently in Mecca and Medina began on Monday. In a report published by the Iranian news agency Mizan, Enayati said that the departure was taking place in the same way as during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in 2025. Iranian pilgrims will leave Saudi Arabia through Saudi-Iraqi border crossings and return to Iran from Iraq. This statement came during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan and the expansion of Iran's attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia.
At the same time, travelers are avoiding the Middle East due to the escalation of the regional conflict, and Ryanair has already stated that it is seeing an increase in bookings for Easter flights to Europe, as Reuters reported, citing airline CEO Michael O'Leary on Tuesday, adding that he does not expect a major long-term impact.
The war between the US, Israel, and Iran has disrupted flights worldwide, closed key Middle Eastern hubs, and led to rising oil prices, with analysts warning of weeks of disruptions.
Oil prices continue to rise - Brent exceeds $80 per barrel03.03.26, 10:32 • [views_4458]
"We have certainly seen a significant collapse in bookings for flights to the Middle East and a significant surge in bookings for short-haul flights in Europe, especially, I think, the main focus is on the Easter holidays," Michael O'Leary said at a press conference.
"But I don't think it has any fundamental changes or impact on... long-term booking trends for May, June, July," O'Leary said.
O'Leary noted that Ryanair's priority during the current disruptions was to bring customers back from Jordan, and that the company does not have much spare capacity to help with other repatriations.
Oil prices have risen sharply due to the intensifying conflict in the Middle East, by approximately 30% since the beginning of the year, which could potentially lead to higher jet fuel costs and harm airline profits.
However, O'Leary said that this would not affect Ryanair, as it is well hedged against rising oil prices.
"We are hedged for the next 12 months until March 2027 at around $67 a barrel," he said. "So it will not affect our costs and will not affect our low fares."