The crisis headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is organizing the largest and most complex operation to date to evacuate Bulgarian citizens from several countries in the Middle East region. The operation is being carried out by combining land and air transport and requires a precise approach in order to provide timely assistance and ensure the safe return to Bulgaria of our compatriots. In order to achieve this goal, all possible mechanisms are being used, including the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is working in constant coordination with the Ministry of Tourism, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, as well as with the Prime Minister's Office for the successful implementation of the operation, the press center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.
As part of the operation, 180 of our compatriots, who were evacuated on a special flight of “Bulgaria Air“ from Dubai, are expected to return home at “Vasil Levski“ Airport today at 18:45. Earlier in the day, at 5:30 p.m., 111 Bulgarian citizens evacuated from Salalah, Oman on a charter flight of “Bulgaria Air“ will also arrive on home soil.
As of 2:00 p.m., according to the Situation Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, assistance was received as follows:
OAE:
On March 5, 2026, at 2:15 a.m., a flight of “State Aviation Operator“ from Abu Dhabi with 85 people on board landed in Bulgaria;
On March 5, 2026, at 3:30 a.m., a flight of “Gulliver“ airline landed in Bulgaria from Dubai with 326 people on board.
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar:
The EU cooperation mechanism has been activated with an evacuation flight (from Riyadh to Vienna) to Austria. 29 seats on board have been agreed for Bulgarian citizens: from Bahrain - 16; from Saudi Arabia - 10, as well as from Qatar - 3. This flight is currently being operated.
Jordan:
The Embassy provided assistance to tour operator agencies for a total of 130 Bulgarian citizens.
Iraq:
In recent days, a total of 20 compatriots were evacuated by land across the border with Turkey or Jordan. At this stage, there are no more Bulgarian citizens to evacuate from Iraq.
Kuwait:
The airspace is currently closed and the civil airport is not operating. There are 8 Bulgarian tourists in the country, and the embassy is working on a specific option for evacuation.
Israel:
14 Bulgarian citizens residing in Israel for a short period of time, with the assistance of another EU Member State, were evacuated via the land route Tel Aviv-Border Checkpoint-Taba-Sharm el-Sheikh Airport. Two Bulgarian citizens left Israel via another route to Amman & Prague Airport with land and air transport provided by another EU Member State.
Iran:
A total of 47 Bulgarian citizens reside in the country, including 14 Iranian citizens - family members. Two have requested evacuation, but since they have dual citizenship (Bulgarian and Iranian), they are currently unable to leave the country.
The UAE's airspace is now open, with commercial flights operating, which allows tour operators to start operating flights with Bulgarian citizens who have traveled to the UAE in an organized manner, thus successfully fulfilling their commitments to their clients.
At the moment in Qatar, where the airspace is not expected to open in the coming days, there are still Bulgarian citizens who have expressed a desire to be evacuated from the country. The efforts of the Crisis Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are focused on assistance, including through options via Saudi Arabia by land.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs once again draws attention to the fact that Bulgarian citizens affected by the situation with the suspended flights through airports in the Middle East, but located outside the zones of active military operations, should maintain contact with their air carriers or tour operators to provide alternative routes through third destinations for return to Bulgaria.
The Crisis Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to work around the clock and to receive and process all calls and signals from the region and many other points of the world.
Signals and requests for assistance are accepted on the 24-hour telephone lines of the Situation Center and on the newly opened lines of the Crisis Headquarters for direct contact with Bulgarian citizens stranded in the Middle East region: +359 2 948 3051; +359 2 948 3052; +359 2 948 2085; +359 2 948 2087; +359 2 948 3124; +359 2 948 2798; +359 2 948 2552; +359 2 948 2086 as well as by e-mail: [email protected]