An AirBaltic flight departed from Dubai for Tallinn, and the departure of a FlyDubai flight to Riga is expected during the night. Tomorrow, the final two special flights will depart from Dubai, heading to Tallinn (Heston) and Riga (FlyDubai), one of which has already been fully arranged. For those wishing to leave the United Arab Emirates now, ticket purchases are open for tomorrow evening’s FlyDubai special flight.
Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that organising special flights to bring Estonian travellers home under rapidly changing circumstances has been a complicated operation.
“Since last Saturday, we have been working to ensure that our people can return home,” said Tsahkna, adding that many unexpected situations have arisen that needed to be resolved very quickly.“In addition to yesterday’s three flights, one additional special flight is currently on its way to Estonia, another was slightly delayed and is expected to depart during the night, and tomorrow evening the final two special flights should depart from Dubai.”
“We very much look forward to welcoming all these people home,” Tsahkna said. “However, conditions in the UAE are changing, and we are ready to adjust our plans if necessary. Still, I ask everyone who wants a seat on a special flight to purchase their ticket.”
After these seven special flights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not currently plan to organise additional special flights.
“We are in constant contact with our European colleagues, and Estonian citizens are also being placed on special flights organised by other countries,” Tsahkna said, adding that regular commercial flights are also gradually resuming.
“I also ask everyone who is still in the region to follow local notifications and instructions,” Tsahkna said, emphasising that the safety of people is the most important priority.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is personally assisting Estonian citizens and their family members with Estonian residence permits currently in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait in returning home.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs asks those who have secured a seat on a special flight to note that flight tickets cannot be changed. The booking link may also reach people who have already returned home; in that case, please ignore the booking link.
All Estonian citizens currently in the Middle East region who have not yet registered their stay are asked to do so on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
If necessary, assistance is available by emailing [email protected] or calling the 24/7 emergency phone line +372 5301 9999.
Information is continuously updated on the web consul page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and on the ministry’s website www.vm.ee.
