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Australian citizens are officially headed home on flights out of the United Arab Emirates, in the wake of the ongoing clashes between Iranian, Israeli and US military forces in the Middle East.
The Australian Government has advised that Australians overseas should be prepared for serious travel disruptions in the days ahead due to the conflict in the Middle East.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong confirmed the start of some commercial flights and a possible first ‘flight scheduled from Dubai to Sydney’ depending on circumstances this morning, during recent media interviews.
“I was very pleased to see that some commercial flights have started. Only a small number. These are very large numbers; I think there are around 115,000 Australians in the region,” according to Foreign Minister and Senator Wong.
“I spoke to the Foreign Minister of the UAE... He told me there are about, I think 24,000 Australian nationals in the UAE. Obviously, some of those are resident and some of those are transit passengers.”
“Each day in and out of Australia, before all of this, around 11,000 people come in and out of Australia via those ports.
“That's what makes this unprecedented, this consular, you know, this conflict. Because those hubs have previously been part of how we get people out of the region. And now the hubs themselves are being attacked.”
Australians currently in the Middle East may be unable to leave due to airspace closures, including around major transit hubs. Road and land border closures may also restrict movement.
The Australian Government has advised that citizens should closely monitor events and local media, check directly with their travel agent or airlines to confirm their plans, review their travel insurance to understand what is covered in the event of cancellations and follow Smartraveller for the latest advice and subscribe for updates.
Smartraveller now advises Australians do not travel to most destinations in the Middle East. This includes Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Australians should reconsider the need to travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has activated its 24/7 Crisis Centre to provide consular support to Australians in the region.
It has also opened a crisis portal for Australians in Israel and Iran. The registration portal is for Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members who have right of entry into Australia. DFAT will contact registered Australians directly to provide updates.
Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Australian Government 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre (+61 2 6261 3305 from overseas or 1300 555 135 in Australia).
