Airlines in the Middle East began transporting stranded passengers outside the Gulf

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Airlines in the Middle East began bringing back stranded travelers as a three-day airport closure across the region slowly eased on Tuesday.

Emirates flights took off from Dubai to the UK, France and Germany, while Etihad Airways transferred a number of flights from Abu Dhabi on Monday and Tuesday.

Qatar Airways said on Tuesday that its flights are still suspended because the country’s airspace remains closed. Thousands more flights were canceled on Tuesday as the conflict that followed US-Israeli strikes on Iran spread.

Governments have been under pressure to help their citizens stranded in the region, but most have not yet begun flights due to airspace closures and disruption across the region.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee warned Americans that there were “very limited” options for leaving the country, and suggested using a shuttle bus to Egypt.

“The US Embassy is not in a position at this time to evacuate Americans or directly assist them in leaving Israel,” he wrote on X.

France is preparing to charter evacuation flights for “the most vulnerable” among its 400,000 citizens in the Middle East, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told BFM television on Tuesday.

Italy has sent teams of Carabinieri police and diplomats to Oman and the UAE to help evacuate about 70,000 Italian citizens stranded in the region, including 30,000 in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and another 20,000 in Israel.

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it organizes buses to transport its citizens from the UAE to Oman and charters flights from Muscat via Oman Air and other charter service providers.

The UK government said on Monday it was examining all options to return people from the area. It is known that ministers prefer commercial flights rather than resorting to chartered aircraft.

Tens of thousands of passengers are still stranded in the region after more than 10,000 flights were cancelled. Cirium Aviation Data Group estimates that more than one million passengers around the world have been affected by flight cancellations.

Emirates flights departing from Dubai Airport early on Tuesday – which had been closed since Saturday – included a flight to Heathrow and another to Manchester, as well as services to Paris, Frankfurt and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

Its planes will return to Dubai carrying anyone heading to the city but will not take passengers connecting to another flight. About 16 planes took off from Dubai’s main airport, the world’s busiest, on Monday.

Etihad Airways made its first passenger flight to land in the UK late on Monday evening.

The airline said its main services remained canceled as of Wednesday, while “some repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights may operate in coordination with UAE authorities and are subject to strict operational and safety approvals.”

Companies across the Gulf have asked their employees to work from home. Some Dubai residents strive for this Departure via Oman or Saudi Arabiawith charter aircraft prices nearly doubling from previous levels.

Tens of thousands of passengers in Asia are still waiting for connecting flights to Europe. Some airlines have begun booking customers scheduled to travel in the coming weeks on alternative and direct services, according to people who work in the travel industry.

The number of direct services between Asia and Europe has declined in recent years, partly due to the growing success of Gulf airports as connecting hubs.

Prices for those trying to catch direct flights from Asia to Europe have soared since the weekend. Some prices are close to double previous levels, according to industry executives. Virgin Atlantic said on Monday that its India services had been unusually busy.

International airlines such as British Airways and Air France still do not fly to the Gulf region. EasyJet on Monday canceled flights to Cyprus after an attack on an RAF base.