Stranded travelers push for departures as Middle East chaos widens | AP News
Frustration and rising anxiety spread among travelers Tuesday, who urgently sought ways to leave the Middle East and other regions affected by a broader Iran-linked conflict. Tens of thousands remain stranded, with major airports closed and a wave of flight cancellations reverberating worldwide.
The U.S. State Department urged Americans to depart from more than a dozen countries in the region, while many other nations scrambled to organize repatriation flights for their citizens. With airspace restricted or closed across Gulf states, many travelers faced a daunting, uncertain path home.
ONE PASSIONATE VOICE AMID THE CHAOS: “They tell you to get out, but how can you leave when the airspace is shut?” lamented Odies Turner, a 32-year-old Dallas chef stranded in Doha, Qatar. “Flights keep getting canceled. I just want to go home.”
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar took to X (formerly Twitter) on Monday to urge Americans in Iran, Israel, and in Gulf and neighboring states—Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, the Palestinian territories, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen—to depart immediately using any available commercial transportation.
People scramble to return home
As governments race to evacuate citizens stranded abroad, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee warned that options remain severely limited and that the U.S. can offer limited direct evacuation aid. In a post on X, he noted that the U.S. Embassy is not currently able to evacuate Americans in Israel, but mentioned a courtesy shuttle to Egypt as a practical option for travelers organizing their own security plans.
Many travelers found themselves holed up in hotels near key Middle East gateways. Others sought shelter due to ongoing airstrikes, while some remained stuck on cruise ships unable to traverse the Strait of Hormuz.
A Romanian pilgrim, Mariana Muicaru, spoke of calling her children at 3 a.m. to convey love and forgiveness in case they did not survive, as hundreds of fellow travelers faced danger on a church trip to Israel. Muicaru eventually reached Bucharest on Tuesday after witnessing rockets streak across the sky.
Crucial travel corridors under pressure
Anita Mendiratta, an international aviation and tourism consultant stranded in Bangkok, says the conflict’s location will inevitably disrupt both travel and commerce. “Within the Middle East, eight hours of flying can connect two-thirds of the world’s population,” she observed. “When that corridor is blocked, airlines face tough choices: reroute far north through airspace that may be entangled in other conflicts, or head south, which can strain capacity and raise costs.”
Despite the grim backdrop, some travelers are gradually finding routes home. Tess Arnold, a 34-year-old travel writer from Seattle, had been stranded in Dubai but managed to reach London on Tuesday and hopes to return to the United States within a day.
After days marked by loud booms and what appeared to be missile or drone interceptions, her mood shifted to relief once she was aboard a flight heading home.
“Massive relief,” she texted, describing the moment the plane began to take off and the cabin erupted in cheers.
Contributors: Danica Kirka (London), Daniel Niemann (Frankfurt), Kristen Grieshaber (Berlin), Samuel Petrequin (Paris), Giada Zampano (Rome), Nicolae Dumitrache (Bucharest), Samy Magdy (Cairo), Jovana Gec (Belgrade).
