Thousands of Swiss people are stuck in the desert metropolis of Dubai and other cities in the Gulf region.Image: keystone
The situation for travelers is difficult. These are the 11 most important questions and answers.
Mar 5, 2026, 4:56 a.mMar 5, 2026, 4:56 a.m
The number of people hungry to leave the country is increasing. 5,200 Swiss people have now reported that they are stuck in the Gulf region. That’s 400 more than the day before. The Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA) announced this late on Wednesday afternoon. The department relies on its own travel app, Travel Admin, in which travelers can register. The EDA does not have any more well-founded data. What happens next for the stranded travelers? An overview of the most pressing questions.
Is help coming from Switzerland?
Yes, from Swiss. The airline has decided to operate an unscheduled flight from Muscat, Oman, to Zurich. The flight will be operated with an Airbus A340 under flight number LX7043. The plane will take off from Muscat on Thursday at 9:15 a.m. local time and is expected in Zurich at 2 p.m., Swiss said. “With this flight we would like to make a concrete contribution to supporting those affected in this difficult situation.”
The flight quickly filled up: priority was given to travelers who already had a Swiss ticket and were unable to take their flight to Zurich due to the current situation. Afterwards, Swiss citizens who had registered with the EDA travel app and were staying in Oman were given the chance to buy one of the 120 free tickets.
This is not a subsidized evacuation flight, but an independent Swiss operation, as the airline further emphasizes. However, the flight takes place in close coordination with the EDA.
What does official Switzerland say?
Not much. And when she says something, it’s misleading. Marianne Jenni, Director of the Consular Directorate in the FDFA, assured the press in Bern on Tuesday evening that no other countries had organized “evacuation flights” by then. At the same time, nations such as Austria and Germany announced evacuation flights via Oman and Saudi Arabia, while Spain had already flown 175 citizens from Abu Dhabi to Madrid on Tuesday.
Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis made it clear on Monday that no repatriation campaign was planned by the federal government. However, we are in contact with Swiss and crisis cells from partner countries such as Germany or France. The official instructions for the stranded Swiss are: Wait. Or in the words of Marianne Jenni:
“We advise everyone to stay where they are.”
The FDFA also advises against traveling overland from one Gulf state to the next – with the risk of getting stuck there again.
According to its own information, the Foreign Ministry “continues to examine options to support Swiss nationals stuck in the region in leaving the country”. But “first and foremost, the principle of personal responsibility applies Swiss Abroad Act». According to this law, which has been in force since 2014, each person is responsible for preparing and carrying out a stay abroad. People who want to leave the region must “primarily take commercial flight connections into account,” according to the EDA.
Why doesn’t Switzerland have transport aircraft?
It was said so far that it was too expensive. There is also excess capacity worldwide. Although Adolf Ogi said in 1999: “Switzerland needs its own transport aircraft.” He wanted to buy two pieces, but failed in parliament.
In an interpellation by the green-liberal National Councilor Michel Matter, who suggested such aircraft for the evacuation of nationals from theaters of war, the Federal Council replied in 2022: Building up its own transport capacities “would not currently be practical from an economic perspective.”
In response to an interpellation from Aargau Central National Councilor Andreas Meier, the Federal Council admitted in 2023 that this absence would lead to delays in evacuations and other disadvantages in an emergency. There are currently plans to procure transport aircraft for the army, possibly in conjunction with other countries.
Adolf Ogi wanted a transport aircraft back in 1999 – he was turned down.Image: keystone
What are other countries doing?
Great Britain, which has around 300,000 compatriots in Arab states in the Gulf, announced government charter flights from Muscat in Oman from Wednesday. Priority was given to particularly vulnerable citizens. The government also examined evacuation routes by bus overland. The evacuees usually have to reimburse the costs later.
Germany, which assumes there are around 30,000 stranded people, announced at the beginning of the week that it would send private company planes to Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) and Muscat (Oman) primarily to bring back particularly vulnerable people – children, sick people and pregnant women.
Countries such as Italy, Austria, France and Spain also organize such government charter flights. Slovenia said it had organized four buses to bring compatriots from Dubai to the airport in Muscat. Most countries, like Switzerland, asked their compatriots to register beforehand at local embassies or via apps.
Is the special unit AAD-10 getting Swiss citizens out?
Switzerland has a special army unit called the Reconnaissance Detachment, known as “AAD 10” for short. The force of around 100 people is there, among other things, to rescue and evacuate Swiss people from crisis areas. It is intended for extreme emergencies and not for the repatriation of stranded tourists. It is conceivable, for example, that the force will be used to get diplomatic staff trapped in Tehran out. It has already done this in other cases, for example in Kiev in 2022 and in Sudan in 2023. And, for example, in 2021 after the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, to organize the repatriation of Swiss nationals.
Do rich people get out of crisis regions more easily?
Indeed. A British man told Reuters that he found a driver in Dubai who drove him to the Saudi border in an SUV. From there someone else chauffeured him to Riyadh. The trip took eleven hours and cost about $1,000. Before the Iran War, you could fly back and forth between the two cities for $200. The man was in Dubai for the weekend to golf.
There are also many reports that rich people are being flown out of the crisis region by private jet. According to “Spiegel” The sharp increase in demand has driven up the prices for SUV rides and private flights significantly. Private jet flights from Riyadh to Europe now cost up to $350,000, an agent said.
What travel warnings did the FDFA issue?
The EDA has been advising since August 2, 2024 generally from traveling to Iran. Since February 28, 2026, when the USA and Israel attacked Iran, the Foreign Ministry has also advised against travel to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories. Previously, tourist and non-urgent travel there had been discouraged. There was initially no explicit warning about the Gulf states, which are also currently under attack. Since March 1st, the FDFA has advised against “tourist and non-urgent travel” to Bahrain, Kuwait, the Arab Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. Since March 2nd, the FDFA has generally advised against traveling to Lebanon and warned of regional risks in Egypt and Cyprus. Warnings for Turkey and Iraq followed on March 3rd.
Have Swiss tourists negligently ignored travel warnings?
Anyone who recently traveled to golf destinations such as Dubai took increased risk and had to expect problems. It had been expected for weeks and months that armed conflict could break out in the Gulf region. US President Donald Trump repeatedly threatened to attack Iran again. And conversely, it was also clear that the mullahs’ regime in Iran and its allies would defend themselves with all means possible. At the same time, it must be noted that, as shown above, the Foreign Ministry was very cautious about issuing specific travel warnings for the Gulf region for a long time.
Who pays the return travel costs?
Basically, those affected themselves. According to the Swiss Abroad Act, “there is no legal right to consular protection”. The federal government can, among other things, refuse or limit assistance “if the person concerned ignores federal recommendations or has behaved negligently in some other way.” However, the federal government can help people who do not have the necessary financial resources to travel home with repayable, interest-free emergency loans. Those affected must first commit to repayment in writing.
Who pays for days lost at work?
The air strikes are keeping thousands of tourists from Switzerland in their holiday resorts. In view of the extraordinary circumstances, the employee organization Employees Switzerland appeals to employers to show flexibility. The affected employees who are unable to come to work should not bear the consequences of their absence alone.
In fact, anyone who is in a crisis area for personal reasons and cannot make it back to work in time is not entitled to any wages. “I bear the risk that I return to work on time,” said Roger Rudolph, professor of labor law, to SRF. If, on the other hand, it is a business-related trip, the entrepreneurial risk lies with the employer.
Employees Switzerland is now appealing to employers that in the event of war, employees cannot be held equally liable for their absence from work, as if they had been absent at fault.
How long do the stranded people have to be patient?
If they’re unlucky, wait until the airspace opens again. When that will be is unclear. In any case, the European Aviation Authority continues to advise airlines against flying to the Gulf region. Specifically, they should avoid flights that lead to and from Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia or fly over these countries.
Swiss plans to resume flight operations to Tel Aviv from Monday, March 9th; those to Dubai from Saturday, March 7th at the earliest. But a lot can still change by then. (aargauerzeitung.ch)