Finnair has said today (March 6) it is preparing repatriation flights from Muscat, Oman to Helsinki to bring customers home who were stranded in Dubai amid the conflict in the region.
The first flight is scheduled for Tuesday, March 10. More flights are planned for later in the week.
Around 1,200 Finnair customers are currently in Dubai.
“Safety is always our top priority, also in this exceptionally challenging situation, and there is still uncertainty regarding the planned flights,” said Finnair CEO Jaakko Schildt. “Nonetheless, we want to offer this option to our customers, who have been waiting for a long time, and the situation is distressing for them.”
The flights will only be operated if the Oman airspace is “deemed safe for operations”. This will be the first time that Finnair has operated to Muscat. As a result, this required “detailed preparations” for the airline.
Customers travelling on these flights need to transfer to Muscat by bus and the airline is collaborating with Finland's foreign affairs ministry to arrange this.