FRANKFURT (dpa-AFX) – Flight connections to the Middle East are gradually becoming available again. Airlines are reintroducing the first scheduled flights to the crisis-hit region, though travel planning remains fraught with uncertainty. Lufthansa, for instance, aborted a scheduled flight from Munich to the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh, citing security concerns.
Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr stated in Frankfurt that such situations would likely be seen more frequently in the coming weeks. "Safety comes first," he emphasized.
Flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Following numerous flight cancellations due to the conflict in Iran, Etihad Airways announced a limited number of flights from Abu Dhabi, including routes to Europe. The airline stated it would serve destinations such as Frankfurt, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Rome, and Zurich. Passengers with existing bookings will be accommodated as quickly as possible.
The German government spoke of an easing in commercial air traffic on Thursday. According to reports, 250 commercial flights were planned from Dubai and Abu Dhabi that day, with over 60 bound for Europe and several destined for Germany.
Tens of thousands of passengers affected by escalation
Due to the escalation of the conflict since last weekend, tens of thousands of people remain stranded, having been on vacation in the Middle East or planning to use regional airports as transit hubs. Many states in the region had temporarily closed their airspace entirely. Limited flight operations have since become possible again.
Lufthansa subsidiary Eurowings is deploying its first aircraft to the crisis zone to bring approximately 150 tourists back to Germany. A special flight from Riyadh to Cologne is scheduled for the night between Friday and Saturday, according to the company. Passengers on board will include guests of the airline's own tour operator, Eurowings Holidays. This marks the first independent repatriation flight by the Lufthansa Group to Germany; the airline had previously operated as a service provider for the German government.
Government plans special flight from Riyadh
Furthermore, following three special flights from Oman, the German government intends to repatriate Germans stranded in the region from Riyadh. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) announced this on Thursday evening. According to a Foreign Office briefing paper for the Bundestag obtained by the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, vulnerable passengers such as pregnant women, the sick, or the elderly are to be transported by land from the Gulf state of Qatar to Riyadh in preparation for their departure.
Meanwhile, Lufthansa is experiencing a sharp increase in demand for direct flights to Asia and Africa. This is due to the cancellation of connecting flights through the hubs of Arab carriers in the crisis region. Consequently, the Lufthansa Group is reviewing options to increase the number of connections to destinations such as Singapore, India, China, and South Africa./ceb/gma/bf/DP/men
