Irish government to charter flight for citizens stranded in Middle East

The Irish government has said it will charter a flight from Oman in the coming days for Irish citizens to return from the Middle East.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Helen McEntee, said her department will be contacting Irish citizens in the Middle East on Wednesday to travel home on a charter flight for about 280 people.

"This first charter flight will be targeted at Irish citizens currently in UAE (United Arab Emirates), particularly those who are non-resident, and who are vulnerable and require assistance most urgently," she said.

"Those citizens requiring most assistance will be contacted directly by my department in the coming days."

McEntee asked for "everyone's patience as our most vulnerable citizens are contacted in this first phase of our response to this crisis".

She said she could not confirm when the flight would take place, but that it would depart on the basis that airspace is open and it is safe to do so.

The minister said the Irish government would "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."

McEntee said she hoped the flight would be the first of many to transport Irish citizens from the region.

She told Irish broadcaster RTÉ some 24,000 Irish people in the Middle East had registered with her department in recent days.

"We're looking at one of the largest planes that we can and that's probably up to about 280 people," she said.

"So I appreciate when you talk about the thousands who are there, that is a fraction of the number of people that may want to get home at the same time."

Conflict has spread across the Middle East following US and Israeli strikes on Iran, in which the country's supreme leader was killed. Tehran has retaliated with a wave of attacks across the region.

British citizens stuck in the Middle East have told the BBC there has been a lack of information about available routes to travel home.

Air travel in the Middle East has been severely disrupted since Saturday, with thousands of flights cancelled.

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs on Tuesday that the "safety and security" of British nationals were a "top priority".

She told the Commons that a government charter flight would fly from Muscat in Oman in the coming days, prioritising vulnerable nationals.

The government is also working with airlines on increasing capacity out of Muscat for British nationals, she said, adding that Britons "must wait to be contacted by the Foreign Office regarding these options".