Dutch repatriation flight from Oman postponed “due to security situation,” ministry says

A Dutch government-chartered repatriation flight from Muscat, Oman, to Amsterdam was postponed Saturday “due to the security situation,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Saturday afternoon, as around 400 Dutch nationals have been brought back to the Netherlands from the Middle East in recent days.

Dutch travelers who were scheduled to board the Corendon flight are being contacted by the ministry and will be rebooked on the next available flight as quickly as possible. The Dutch embassy in Muscat is reportedly assisting the stranded passengers.

“Safety comes first and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is monitoring this hour by hour, together with the airlines involved,” the ministry said.

A spokesperson told ANP it was not clear what specifically had changed in the security environment but noted that other countries have also increasingly canceled flights. “That is a circumstance you have to take into account,” she said.

As ongoing military strikes involving the United States, Israel and Iran have prompted widespread airspace closures and restrictions across the Gulf, Al Jazeera reports that major Middle Eastern aviation hubs have seen flight cancellations and limited operations. Scheduled commercial services remain largely suspended or restricted amid safety concerns.

The Corendon service was organized at the government’s request, meaning only a small number of passengers on board had originally booked travel with the airline.

Earlier Saturday, a separate repatriation flight operated by KLM arrived at Schiphol around 8:15 a.m. from Muscat with 281 passengers, including 263 Dutch nationals. The travelers had been stranded in Oman and the United Arab Emirates.

Another repatriation flight arrived earlier overnight from the Egyptian resort city of Sharm-el-Sheikh carrying 56 Dutch citizens who had been stranded in Israel.

The Dutch government announced Wednesday that it would begin repatriating travelers from the Middle East, where thousands of Dutch nationals are believed to be stranded because of the war involving Iran.

“The safety of Dutch people in the Middle East is the cabinet’s highest priority,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Berendsen. The government is also exploring cooperation with other European countries that are evacuating people from the region. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it will continue organizing repatriation flights in the coming days.

Earlier in the week, KLM dispatched an aircraft to Oman primarily to retrieve its own personnel from the Middle East. That flight, which landed at Schiphol on Wednesday morning, also carried about 85 other Dutch citizens.

Travel companies have meanwhile managed to return some stranded vacationers on regular commercial routes. Prijsvrij Vakanties and D-Reizen said they have been able to repatriate travelers “in small numbers” from the Middle East on scheduled flights.

“We have already been able to get a significant portion back to the Netherlands. Nevertheless, we still have hundreds of travelers in the Gulf region,” the companies said.

The agencies secured seats for customers on flights operated by carriers including Emirates from Dubai to Schiphol and to airports in Germany.

Industry association ANVR previously estimated that roughly 1,000 stranded Dutch vacationers in the region had booked their trips through travel companies affiliated with the group.

Travelers who require government-organized evacuation flights must contribute financially for the service. “The cabinet’s starting point is to ask travelers for a financial contribution for the repatriation flights,” Berendsen said.