A Hungarian evacuation flight carrying 76 passengers landed in Budapest on Sunday evening, bringing home nationals who had been stranded in several Gulf countries. The aircraft departed from Riyadh and transported Hungarians from Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait back to Hungary.
Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, announced the news on social media, confirming that the rescue operation to assist citizens stuck abroad is ongoing.
According to the minister, the aircraft that arrived in Budapest on Sunday carried Hungarians who had been unable to leave the region in recent days. The government has been organising a series of special flights to help nationals return safely.
More rescue flights scheduled from Oman
The evacuation effort will continue on Monday with two additional flights operating between Muscat, the capital of Oman, and Budapest.
Szijjártó said the two flights are expected to bring home a total of 180 people. Among them are 23 Hungarians currently stranded in Oman, while 157 others will be transferred from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates to Muscat before boarding the flights to Hungary.
Ongoing evacuation effort across the region
Hungary began organising evacuation flights earlier in the week to assist nationals stranded across the Middle East. The first rescue flight departed from Kecskemét and flew to Amman, the capital of Jordan.
Authorities have since expanded the operation to include Hungarians in multiple Gulf states, including Qatar and Oman, as well as those in the UAE.
Hungarian officials say the aim of the ongoing flights is to ensure that citizens who remain abroad in the region can return home safely in the coming days.
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Featured image: illustration, Freepik
