The 115,000 Australians stranded in the Middle East remain in limbo and without an escape route on Tuesday night, as persistent military strikes in the region plunge commercial aviation into deeper disarray.
Australians travelling through the Middle East, a popular layover destination before continuing to Europe, were shocked as they discovered US and Israel had struck Iran on Saturday, putting travel plans into chaos as the Islamic Republic launched counterstrikes across the region, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar.
Australian travellers Chloe and Cinty (both of whom asked that their second names not be published), departed Sydney for Madrid on Friday night, less than 24 hours before the Trump administration’s Operation Epic Fury began. They were meant to stay in Abu Dhabi for nine hours, which has now stretched beyond three nights as their flights continue to be cancelled.
“We were sitting at the gate and all of a sudden, Spanish passengers started getting all of these intense phone notifications and alarms from their phone, safety alerts, we had no idea what was going on, and people started to panic at that point,” Chloe said.
“[Some were] told to stay from windows, avoid glass as a safety precaution … we stayed put at the gate and were alert from that point, still thinking in a few hours we might get out.”
Cinty described “mayhem” in the arrivals terminal, as bags were dumped across the floor while travellers scrambled to rearrange plans thrown into jeopardy.
The federal government estimates 24,000 Australians are in limbo across the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as war in the Middle East shows no signs of abating.
About 11,000 Australians transit through the region, a hub for Emirates, Virgin Australia’s partner Qatar Airways, and Etihad, at any one time.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held talks with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday night, in which Albanese pushed for the resumption of commercial flights as the region faces prolonged air space closures sparked by Iran’s missile and drone attacks.
It followed discussions between Foreign Minister Penny Wong and her UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Tuesday morning, in which Wong was assured Australian travellers would be placed on flights as soon as is safe and practicable.
Camille Thioulouse is another Australian stranded in Abu Dhabi. She has taken temporary shelter in a nearby hotel as she and her family await details of a flight to their home base in Saudi Arabia.
“The last 48 hours have been intense … it’s hard to decipher the information coming through,” Thioulouse wrote on social media.
“We are desperate to get home to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but we also realise how lucky we are that we are safe and well looked after.”
The Department of Defence has established a taskforce to explore the potential of evacuating Australians from the Middle East, first reported by The Australian, should the conflict further deteriorate.
Wong confirmed a “small number” of commercial flights have been able to depart the region, including from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, since the conflict began, but conceded an immediate resolution was “unlikely”.
In Europe, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed his government was “looking at all options to support our people”, as it warned the situation in the Middle East could “remain challenging for some time”.
The German Foreign Ministry has revealed plans to send aircraft to Oman and Saudi Arabia to evacuate ill travellers, children and pregnant people, while working with airlines to assist others where possible.
The US State Department has urged its citizens in 13 countries, including UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon and Oman, to “depart now via commercial means due to serious safety risks”.
It comes as US President Donald Trump signals war in the Middle East may go “far longer” than his previous estimate of “four to five weeks”, and did not rule out sending ground forces into the region. He has warned of another “big wave” of strikes against Iran, as the American death toll from the conflict rises to six.
With AP
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Daniel Lo Surdo is a breaking news reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He previously helmed the national news live blog for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via email.
