Ireland's Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Helen McEntee has announced that the Irish Government will be chartering a flight for Irish citizens in the UAE.
"I am highly aware of the large numbers of Irish citizens in the UAE as the current conflict continues," McEntee said in a statment on Tuesday night.
"In this context, I asked our Consular Crisis team today to activate plans for an assisted departure.
"Our team will now take the necessary steps to finalise a first government of Ireland charter flight for Irish citizens to depart the region from Oman Airport in the coming days, providing security and operational considerations permit.
"This first charter flight will be targeted at Irish citizens currently in UAE, particularly those who are non-resident, and who are vulnerable and require assistance most urgently.
"Those citizens requiring most assistance will be contacted directly by my Department in the coming days. I would ask for everyone’s patience as our most vulnerable citizens are contacted in this first phase of our response to this crisis.
"We will continue to offer consular assistance to all citizens in the region. All citizens should register with the appropriate Embassy if they have not already done so and continue to follow our Embassy social media accounts for the latest updates."
Speaking with RTÉ News on Tuesday night, Minister McEntee acknowledged that "there are different reports as to how long it will take."
She said she hopes this will be the first of many flights for Irish citizens, and that about 2,000 people have contacted the crisis management office that was set up since Saturday.
McEntee's statement was published not long after Dublin Airport announced on Tuesday night that airlines had confirmed the cancellation of all 12 flights scheduled for Wednesday to/from Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi.
Dublin Airport cautioned that further disruptions in the coming days are possible.
Disruption to flights between Dublin Airport & airports in the Middle East will continue tomorrow (Wednesday).
Airlines have confirmed the cancellation of all 12 flights scheduled for Wednesday to/from Doha, Dubai & Abu Dhabi. This follows the cancellation of all flights today… pic.twitter.com/01riJnC2Dq
— Dublin Airport (@DublinAirport) March 3, 2026
Advice for Irish citizens in the Gulf Region and Middle East
As of Tuesday night, Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs is advising against all travel for Irish citizens to Israel, Iraq, Iran, and Lebanon.
The Department is also advising against all non-essential travel for Irish citizens to Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.
Irish citizens in the area are being encouraged to register their contact details with the Department.
In an update on Tuesday night, the Irish Embassy in Abu Dhabi, which is accredited to the UAE, Qatar, and Kuwait, said that the situation across the Gulf Region "remains very volatile."
The airspace over the three countries remained closed as of Tuesday night, and the Irish Embassy said: "Irish citizens should not travel to any airport unless their airlines have confirmed their flights are scheduled to depart."
The Embassy further said that it was aware that some citizens were considering or had taken the decision to travel by land to neighboring countries.
"Should citizens decide to travel by land, they should be aware that the security situation remains unstable and commercial flight options remain subject to change with limited or no notice," the Embassy said, adding that it cannot "assess your personal risk en route."
It continued: "Given the unstable security situation, we are strongly urging citizens not to pursue anything other than essential journeys, to remain vigilant, to monitor developments and media, and to follow advice from local authorities on the ground, including when this is to shelter in place."
The Embassy encouraged Irish citizens to monitor the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Travel Advice and the Embassy’s social media channels on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
Also on Tuesday night, the Irish Embassy in Abu Dhabi also posted on social media night about ongoing missile attacks, urging Irish citizens to shelter in place:
— Irish Embassy UAE (@IrelandEmbUAE) March 3, 2026
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