Azernews.Az

The government of Azerbaijan has launched urgent measures to evacuate its citizens from several Gulf countries after airspace closures triggered by ongoing military escalation in the Middle East.

As reported by AzerNEWS, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, emergency evacuation procedures began immediately after several Gulf states closed their airspace due to the deteriorating security situation in the region.

Diplomatic missions in the affected countries were instructed to compile lists of Azerbaijani citizens requiring evacuation. Initial registration indicates that around 1,000 Azerbaijani nationals across five countries requested assistance. This includes 490 people in the United Arab Emirates, 220 in Saudi Arabia, 200 in Qatar, 23 in Bahrain, and 26 in Kuwait.

The United Arab Emirates, particularly the city of Dubai, is one of the main tourist destinations for Azerbaijani citizens. Following negotiations between Azerbaijan’s Consulate General in Dubai and flydubai, flights on the Dubai–Baku route resumed temporarily after limited reopening of UAE airspace. Between March 3 and March 5, a total of 755 Azerbaijani citizens returned home on these flights.

However, with UAE airspace currently closed again, authorities are preparing alternative plans to bring back the remaining citizens.

Saudi Arabia has become the second major evacuation point. On March 4, 2026, a special flight operated by Azerbaijan Airlines evacuated 193 Azerbaijani citizens from the city of Jeddah. The flight also carried several ethnic Azerbaijanis holding other citizenships, bringing the total number of evacuees on that flight to 207.

Additionally, Azerbaijani citizens registered in Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia were transported by buses organized by diplomatic missions to Jeddah. From there, another AZAL flight on March 7, 2026, returned 203 passengers to Baku.

Meanwhile, to facilitate the return of citizens located in Iran, the Operational Headquarters under the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan authorized land crossings into Azerbaijan. So far, around 300 Azerbaijani citizens have entered the country from Iran by land.