After being delayed for several hours, the first special flight evacuating Slovenes from the Middle East has taken off from Oman.
The Jordanian airplane can carry up to 140 passengers, and the first evacuated Slovenes are expected to touch down in Ljubljana this evening. A second evacuation flight was also scheduled to take off later today. Viktor Mlakar from the Slovenian Foreign Ministry advises those who find commercial flights from Oman to use the opportunity, adding that the situation in Qatar and the UAE, where the airspace is closed for traffic, is much more complicated. Over 700 Slovenes have contacted the embassy in the capital of the UAE, Abu Dhabi, for help. In addition, more 150 Slovenians are reported to be stranded in the Maldives, as well as elsewhere in Asia.
Tens of thousands of flights have been cancelled due to the situation in the Middle East, leaving many passengers stranded at airports across Asia.