The Australian government says travelers should be prepared for “serious” disruption in the coming days amid turmoil in the Middle East, and says there are limits to what the government can do to help those stranded in the region.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said many Australians would be affected as countries close their airspace amid US and Israeli attacks on Iran. Three major airports connecting Europe and Africa to Asia, in Qatar, Dubai and Abu Dhabi, halted operations as the latter two were damaged during the conflict.
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“We understand this will be a difficult time for many people, particularly those with family in the region or travel plans,” Wong said Monday morning. “The Albanian government’s priority is the safety of Australians.
“We will continue to support Australians through the coming disruption, providing regular travel advice updates and consular assistance where we can, recognizing that there are limits to what any government can do in an uncertain and rapidly changing environment.”
Smartraveller recently updated its list of countries with “do not travel” advice to include many in the Middle East, including Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
Australians are encouraged to reconsider the need to travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia.
Major airlines, including Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways, transit through those nations. All three airlines suspended operations and offered those on flights in the coming days options to rebook or request a refund.
Monday morning flight data on Flightradar24 did not show any commercial aircraft in the airspace over the United Arab Emirates or Qatar.
Virgin Australia, which has a partnership with Qatar Airways, urged passengers on upcoming flights to “closely monitor their flight information and visit the Smartraveller website for the latest travel advice”, adding that “the safety of our guests and crew is always our top priority”.
Qantas flights were not affected by the upheaval on Monday morning as the flag carrier does not operate any aircraft at Middle East airports. The airline has several flight route options to Europe to avoid the airspace if necessary.
Wong said on Monday morning there were around 115,000 Australians in the region, with around 11,000 regularly traveling in and out of Australia on Etihad, Emirates and Qatar Airways.
“It’s very difficult at the moment for the government to provide a huge amount of assistance in circumstances where flights are cancelled, disrupted and slotted,” he told ABC News Breakfast. “First we have to see if commercial flights will restart.”
He did not yet commit to repatriation flights, saying the government believed the quickest way for people to return home would be the resumption of commercial options.
“There is conflict in the region, we have seen loss of life across the region and the airspace is not open,” he told reporters in Canberra on Monday morning. “So whether it’s an Australian flight or a commercial flight, the flights can’t happen.”
ABC producer Lisa Needham told Radio National on Monday morning that she was stuck in Dubai while en route from Melbourne to the UK for a funeral.
After passing through Dubai when the conflict broke out, she said she had already been in the UAE for almost 30 hours, adding that she was taken by bus to a hotel but had trouble getting information from her airline, Emirates or hotel staff.
“It’s really a matter of sitting and waiting,” he said.
She and hundreds of other stranded travelers were told everything had been cancelled.
“We think we’ve definitely had a lot of missiles intercepted in the sky above us. You can hear it,” he said. “People feel very uncomfortable and then they calm down again.
“A lot of people feel pretty resigned, I think… that we’re not going anywhere anytime soon.”
The UAE Australian embassy’s social media accounts indicated many similar experiences, with citizens reporting difficulties communicating with consular staff. The embassy continued to urge Australians there to shelter in place and follow the instructions of local authorities.
‘Everything was dust’
Navid Saba, a 42-year-old Iranian-Australian who lives in Sydney, said his parents were visiting from Tehran and boarded a flight back to the Middle East last week. While flying over India, the first attacks landed in Iran. When they disembarked for a two-hour stopover in Dubai, everything was “chaos.”
Saba said her parents, in their 60s and 70s, were at the airport for two sleepless nights before they were able to book a room at a hotel at the airport. While they were traveling to that room, the airport was attacked.
“Once they were moving to that hotel, at the exact moment when one of the missiles hit the airport, at one of the doors near them,” Saba said. “My dad said ‘I saw the flash, I heard the sound, it was all dust.’ Everyone was panicking and in shock.”
His parents were eventually evacuated by military officials to central Dubai.
Chaos at Sydney Airport
Disturbed travelers were forced to sleep at Sydney Airport over the weekend, and the airport kept terminals open overnight as airlines and staff worked to accommodate them during the city’s busy Mardi Gras weekend.
The airport is largely back to normal, although passengers with flights scheduled to the Middle East in the coming weeks are encouraged to stay in touch with their airlines.
“Although some international services have been disrupted, the airport is operating as normal. Our teams are working closely with airlines to assist passengers affected by the cancellations,” a Sydney Airport spokesperson said in a statement.
“There has been no change to Sydney Airport’s security posture. Safety and security arrangements remain in place as part of our standard operating environment.”
