- Germany has chartered emergency Lufthansa flights from Riyadh and Muscat to evacuate approximately 30,000 stranded citizens.
- Priority seating is restricted to vulnerable groups including children, families, the elderly, and those with medical conditions.
- Regional airspace disruption followed military operations on February 28, causing over 12,000 flight cancellations within days.
(RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA) — Germany has chartered Lufthansa flights from Riyadh and Muscat to bring home citizens stranded by Middle East airspace disruptions, restricting seats to vulnerable citizens as commercial options narrow and cancellations spread across the region.
German officials said the emergency measures began as rapidly changing aviation conditions left many travelers stuck far from workable routes, with major hubs in the Gulf affected by closures and knock-on rerouting.
The German Federal Foreign Office defined the priority groups as children and families, pregnant women, the elderly and sick, and individuals with disabilities, with allocation handled through official channels rather than normal airline booking.
The charter effort comes after the “Lion’s Roar” military operation by U.S. and Israeli forces against Iran on February 28, 2026, followed by retaliatory strikes by Iran across the Gulf that have disrupted air travel, including at Dubai International (DXB) and Hamad International (DOH).
An estimated 30,000 German tourists are currently stranded across the Middle East, German officials said. Over 12,000 flights in the region were canceled between February 28 and March 2 alone, squeezing remaining connections and leaving travelers dependent on limited corridors.
Riyadh and Muscat remained partially accessible compared with hubs in the UAE or Qatar, prompting Germany to center its charter departures in Saudi Arabia and Oman, officials said.
Germany’s approach also reflects a broader security posture outlined by U.S. agencies in recent days. The DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis released a threat assessment dated March 3, 2026 stating that Iran and its proxies “probably pose a persistent threat of targeted attacks in the Homeland” following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Kristi Noem, DHS Secretary, said on March 3, 2026: “I am in direct co-ordination with our federal intelligence and law enforcement partners as we continue to closely monitor and thwart any potential threats to the homeland.”
Noem also linked crisis conditions to strains on government operations in a separate notice about domestic disruption. In an operational notice dated February 22, 2026, she said limited funding during a department shutdown forced DHS to prioritize resources, affecting programs such as Global Entry, adding: “Shutdowns have real world consequences. it endangers our national security. The American people depend on this department every day, and we are making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the damage.”
German officials stressed that the charter seats are not a retail product, even though Lufthansa operates the flights. Travelers cannot book through the airline, and the German embassy and the crisis prevention list, ELEFAND, coordinate seat assignments and contact eligible passengers.
A Lufthansa flight from Muscat to Frankfurt is scheduled for the night of March 4 to 5, 2026, using an Airbus A340-300, German officials said. The timing and aircraft detail underscored the ad hoc nature of the operation as airlines adapt to closures and reroutes.
Passengers seeking a seat have faced a process that depends on registration and confirmation rather than immediate ticketing, officials said. Many also must reposition to the departure city, sometimes with limited visibility on when they will receive final instructions.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul framed the decision as a triage effort focused on those least able to endure extended waits or difficult transit. “The safety of our citizens is our top priority. We will send aircrafts to Riyadh and Muscat as quickly as possible for particularly vulnerable groups,” Wadephul said in a German Federal Foreign Office press release on March 3, 2026.
U.S. officials issued parallel public messages about citizen safety, though the U.S. government is not running Germany’s charter operation. The U.S. has advised its citizens to “DEPART NOW” from 14 countries in the region, and Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State, said on March 3: “Our number one priority is the safety and security of American citizens everywhere in the world.”
The charter program has unfolded against a backdrop of network-wide disruption, with airlines forced to cancel, reroute, or consolidate service as airspace access changes. The cancellations have strained capacity and complicated onward travel even for passengers who can reach an operating airport.
Travelers on the ground have described a shrinking set of exit routes, with many forced to travel overland to Muscat or Riyadh to reach the few departing flights. Those movements can add time, border formalities, and logistics at a moment when schedules have already proved unreliable.
Consular operations have also tightened, officials said, reducing the ability of some travelers to replace documents or resolve administrative issues quickly. U.S. and German embassies have suspended routine visa processing, including at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem on Feb 28, adding another layer of friction for people trying to arrange onward plans.
Costs have climbed alongside the scarcity of seats. Private jet prices have surged, and one-way business class fares to alternative hubs like Singapore have increased by 12% or more, officials said, putting premium routing out of reach for some stranded travelers.
German officials urged citizens to rely on formal channels for updates and to follow instructions from the embassy and the ELEFAND system, which manages crisis registration and alerts. Lufthansa has separately directed passengers to its operational notices as carriers adjust schedules and handle rebooking within the limits of available airspace.
Lufthansa’s flight information page lists current notices, while the German Federal Foreign Office’s ELEFAND portal provides registration and alerts tied to crisis response. For broader regional context, U.S. travelers can monitor the State Department’s travel advisories and DHS updates through its news releases as governments track the security environment and its impact on movement in and out of the region.
