LAST UPDATE | 3 Mar

THE GOVERNMENT HAS confirmed that it will charter a flight to the Middle East to evacuate Irish citizens amid the intensifying conflict in the region.

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Helen McEntee confirmed the move on RTÉ’s Six One News this evening following a Cabinet meeting. 

The charter flight will have capacity for 280 people and will be targeted at Irish citizens currently in the United Arab Emirates, particularly those who are non-resident and who are vulnerable and require assistance most urgently.

McEntee said the intention is that the flight will depart from Oman in the coming days, subject to airspace being open, with citizens being transported to the country via bus. 

“It’s important that we can obviously say that this is the first of many, I hope, and that our focus now is making sure that… by tomorrow, we’ll be reaching out to citizens to try and make sure that that first chartered flight is full.”

She confirmed that there are around 24,000 Irish citizens currently in the region, including long-term residents, holidaymakers and those transiting through airports. 

This includes around 12,000 who reside in the United Arab Emirates.

Around 2,000 people have contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs’ crisis management office since Saturday, with the government identifying and prioritising vulnerable cases, including older people and those requiring medical assistance.

“What we’re doing now is working through those calls again, looking at the calls that have come into our embassies in the region, and identifying where there are more vulnerable people,” McEntee said. 

“We know that there are people who are at advanced stages of pregnancy, other reasons as well, and we’ll be identifying those people.” 

Commercial flights ‘best and quickest option’

McEntee said the best and quickest option available to Irish citizens who want to leave the Middle East is “still for commercial airlines to bring people home”, as so many people are in the UAE, Dubai and Abu Dhabi “and we’ve seen over the last few days a number of flights that have been taken off”.

She said Irish people have been on some of those flights and that the Department is engaging directly with airlines to see if they can ensure that some of those direct flights are coming to Dublin in the coming days. 

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Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways have cancelled flights to and from Dublin, disrupting key routes through the Middle East.

Emirates operates three daily Dublin-Dubai flights, Etihad up to two daily return services to Abu Dhabi, while Qatar Airways runs up to three daily return flights to Doha.

Many passengers use these hubs to connect onwards to Australia, the Far East, Africa, India and the Philippines.

The suspensions have left travellers stranded worldwide.

Citizens are still advised to shelter in place, check directly with airlines if they intend to travel and register with the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Citizens can contact the Department of Foreign Affairs’ consular team in Dublin at +353 1 408 2000, while those in the region are advised to contact their local Irish embassy. They can register with the Department online here.