Middle East Crisis: Thousands of Europeans Evacuated, LOT Suspends Flights

The situation in the Middle East has forced the governments of many countries to launch extraordinary logistical procedures to ensure the safety of their citizens. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani reported significant progress in the repatriation process. According to him, over twenty-five thousand people have already returned to Italy since the crisis began. „A oggi rientrati 25mila italiani, c'è un miglioramento importante” (As of today, 25,000 Italians have returned, there is a significant improvement) — Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani – emphasized the head of Italian diplomacy, pointing to a clear improvement in the logistical situation compared to the first days of the conflict. Earlier communications from the ministry spoke of a number exceeding 20,000 people, illustrating the dynamics of the ongoing efforts.

Tension in the region directly impacts civilian air traffic, forcing carriers to revise their route networks for safety reasons. LOT Polish Airlines decided to cancel all flights to Tel Aviv until March 23 and to Riyadh until March 16. Representatives of the carrier argue that these actions are preventive and result from the unstable situation in the region's airspace. Similar disruptions have affected Dubai International Airport, where operational pauses were recorded due to explosions and the real threat of missile attacks, significantly hindering the coordination of civilian and evacuation flights.

{"tytuł": "Number of citizens evacuated by country", "dane": [{"kraj": "Italy", "liczba": 25000}, {"kraj": "Poland", "liczba": 7000}, {"kraj": "Switzerland", "liczba": 4000}, {"kraj": "Romania", "liczba": 273}, {"kraj": "Japan", "liczba": 208}]}

Poland is also actively participating in rescue operations. Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski reported that over seven thousand Polish citizens have been evacuated from the region so far. Among those who regained their freedom and safely left the threatened areas were five Poles released after intensive diplomatic intervention. YouTuber Dawid Fazowski, who was detained in Iraq, also returned to the country. Over 7,000 Polish citizens have been safely transported to the country since the crisis began. These operations require close international cooperation, as exemplified by Romania, which used the EU's RescEU mechanism to bring back 273 people.

Repatriation efforts are not limited to Europe. Japan successfully evacuated 208 of its citizens from Qatar and other parts of the Middle East. Switzerland, meanwhile, is organizing special air bridges from Oman to Zurich, caring for about four thousand registered citizens. Portugal, using military aircraft to transport smaller groups of passengers, and Ireland, which decided to charter commercial planes, are also involved in the operation. Despite the enormous scale of the operations, the situation remains unpredictable, and governments are urging people to follow diplomatic communications.

Source: ANSA.it - official statements by Antonio Tajani regarding the number of repatriated Italians.Source: rmf24.pl - announcement of flight suspensions by LOT Polish Airlines to Israel and Saudi Arabia.Source: Statement by the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs - data on the evacuation of 7,000 Poles and intervention in Iraq.Source: Communications from the Japanese and Portuguese Foreign Ministries on evacuation flights from the Persian Gulf region.