Four Charter Flights from Riyadh to Bring Hungarians Home

Four Flights Between Riyadh and Budapest

The Hungarian government will launch a total of four charter flights between Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Budapest on March 7th (Saturday) and 8th (Sunday), announced Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó. The flights will primarily bring home Hungarians stranded in Saudi Arabia, but will also reserve space for those who have crossed overland from Qatar to Riyadh, and those who are undertaking the crossing from Dubai.

According to the announcement, two flights will depart on both Saturday and Sunday, which can carry a total of several hundred Hungarian citizens home from the tense Middle Eastern situation. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is asking compatriots still in the region to immediately register with the nearest Hungarian consulate.

Nearly Six Thousand Registered Compatriots

According to Péter Szijjártó, the number of Hungarians registered for consular protection has increased dramatically: according to the latest data, it is slowly approaching six thousand. Most of them – more than three thousand – are in the United Arab Emirates, primarily in Dubai. In addition, a significant number of Hungarian citizens are stranded in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and Egypt.

Several evacuation waves have already taken place before the Riyadh charter flights. The first relief plane departed from Amman, Jordan, bringing home 83 Hungarians fleeing from Israel and Jordan. This was followed by 68 people from Sharm el-Sheikh, while 172 passengers were transported to Budapest from the Emirates on a plane chartered from FlyDubai.

Airspace Closure and Suspension of Commercial Flights

Most of the Middle Eastern airspace is closed as a result of the Iranian conflict that erupted at the end of February. Wizz Air – one of the most important airlines for Hungarian passengers on Middle Eastern routes – has suspended all flights to Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Amman, and Riyadh, and has removed these routes from its booking system until autumn. The airline's CEO, József Váradi, told Reuters that the financial impact is expected to be largely limited to the financial year ending in March.

Due to the suspension of direct commercial flights, the government is also involving military and chartered civilian aircraft in the evacuation, thereby speeding up the pace of repatriation.

Hungary in the EU's Coordinated Evacuation

Hungary is also participating in the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism. According to a statement from the European Commission, at least six joint repatriation flights have been launched by March 6th, coordinated by the European Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), bringing home Italian, Austrian, Bulgarian, and Slovak citizens. Under the EU mechanism, the EU can reimburse up to 75 percent of flight costs if at least 30 percent of the seats are reserved for citizens of other member states.

According to EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, bringing EU citizens home is a priority, and further joint flights are expected to depart from the conflict-stricken region in the coming days.

What Should Those Stranded Do?

The Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends that the affected citizens:

• immediately register for consular protection at the nearest Hungarian consulate;
• closely follow the official information provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
• assess the possibility of overland crossing to neighboring countries with open airports (e.g. Oman, Saudi Arabia);
• refrain from unnecessary travel in the region.

The schedule of relief flights and consular contact information are available on the Consular Service website.