Azerbaijan evacuates nearly 200 citizens from the Middle East

Azerbaijan is evacuating nearly 200 people from the Middle East on a special charter flight departing from Oman. 

The Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) Boeing 787 Dreamliner is transporting 195 Azerbaijani citizens, one citizen of Türkiye, and two foreign nationals holding residency permits back to Baku.

The flight from Muscat to Heydar Aliyev International Airport is expected to land in the coming hours. Authorities stated the repatriation effort is being conducted safely and in accordance with established aviation procedures following the recent escalation of regional conflict.

Coordinated evacuation

The operation was organised following directives by President Ilham Aliyev to assist citizens stranded in the United Arab Emirates. With widespread airspace closures affecting major transit hubs in the Gulf, the Azerbaijani Embassy in the UAE and the Consulate General in Dubai registered citizens wishing to return home.

Diplomatic missions the arranged for registered evacuees to be transported by special buses from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to neighboring Oman. Once safely in Muscat, the embassy coordinated their dispatch onto the special AZAL flight.

Regional transit hub

Following regional uncertainties, Oman has emerged as a primary extraction point for foreign governments looking to evacuate their citizens. Commercial operations across much of the Middle East have been severely disrupted since the outbreak of hostilities involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.

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Numerous countries are currently operating similar repatriation flights out of Muscat as regional airspace remains restricted. Diplomatic missions across the Gulf continue to work on alternative travel arrangements for thousands of stranded foreign nationals.

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News Politics Azerbaijan Middle East Iran Oman