France and Germany have launched repatriation efforts to bring home citizens stranded in the Middle East amid the escalating regional conflict, according to media reports Wednesday, March 4.
The first organized evacuation flight carrying French nationals arrived early Wednesday at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport from Muscat, the capital of Oman, France 24 reported, citing AFP.
The aircraft, chartered by Air France, departed Muscat in the evening and landed shortly before 3 a.m. local time (02:00 UTC) in Paris.
French officials said the flight carried a mix of airline passengers and staff, as well as vulnerable travelers including families, young children and pregnant women. About 100 seats had been reserved by the French Foreign Ministry for people considered most vulnerable.
Germany is preparing similar repatriation flights for its citizens in the region.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said the government plans to send a Lufthansa aircraft to Muscat to bring stranded Germans back to Frankfurt, according to Tagesschau.
The flight is expected to use an Airbus A340-300 with 279 seats and could depart overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
Passengers are expected to reach Oman overland from the United Arab Emirates before boarding the evacuation flight, Wadephul said.
German authorities said priority would be given to elderly travelers, people with health conditions, pregnant women, and children.
Tens of thousands of travelers remain stranded across the Middle East as airlines suspend or reroute flights due to security risks and closed airspace in several countries.