The escalating Israeli-US strikes on Iranian military sites and Tehran’s immediate retaliation sent shockwaves through international aviation on 28 February 2026. Speaking to public broadcaster ČT24, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Macinka confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has raised its travel advisory for Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to the highest “do-not-travel” level and urged all Czech citizens already in the region to register in the DROZD consular database. Macinka stressed that, despite the presence of “several thousand” Czech nationals in the Gulf, no state-organised evacuation is being prepared.
![Czechia issues urgent Middle-East travel warning; no repatriation flights planned as Prague Airport cancels Tel Aviv and Dubai routes]()
Travellers now forced to reconsider flights or secure alternative transit visas can streamline the paperwork through VisaHQ’s Czech portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/). The service provides fast electronic visa processing, passport renewals and real-time alerts on changing Gulf-state entry rules—support that can prove invaluable when routes are diverted at short notice.
Airspace closures across Iran, Iraq, Israel, the UAE and Qatar make route-planning unpredictable, while Prague lacks diplomatic staff on the ground sufficient to mount a large-scale operation. Only three Czechs are currently registered in Iran, and they have been given instructions on shelter-in-place procedures and potential over-land exit options via Armenia or Türkiye. The Minister underlined that any commercial rescue flights would depend on the reopening of regional corridors and the willingness of carriers to operate in a high-risk zone. The impact is already being felt at home: Prague’s Václav Havel Airport confirmed the cancellation of five departures—three to Tel Aviv and two to Dubai—after the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority suspended inbound movements at Dubai International and Ben Gurion Airport shut down entirely. Airlines have begun re-routing aircraft around Iranian and Iraqi airspace, adding up to two hours to flights to Southeast Asia and Australia; travel-management companies are flagging higher ticket prices and advising corporations to review duty-of-care policies for staff transiting the Middle East. Industry groups fear wider knock-on effects. The Czech Association of Travel Agencies (ACK) estimates that package operators have between 2,000 and 3,000 customers in Dubai alone. Under Czech and EU package-tour rules, agencies must provide accommodation, meals and alternative transport for at least three days if customers are stranded, potentially triggering millions of crowns in extra costs. Logistics analysts, meanwhile, warn that further hostilities could disrupt container shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, raising freight prices for Czech importers of electronics and automotive components. For global-mobility professionals, the episode is a stark reminder of how fast geopolitical risks can upend carefully planned assignments. Companies with staff on business trips or short-term postings in the Gulf have been advised to: 1) confirm the whereabouts of employees and ensure they are enrolled in MFA alerts; 2) review insurance coverage for conflict zones, which many standard travel-medical policies exclude; 3) prepare contingency routing via Istanbul or Athens should east-bound traffic over the Middle East remain restricted; and 4) update crisis-response protocols to reflect the MFA’s tightened stance. With the Minister warning the operation “may last weeks,” mobility managers should expect sustained volatility in air schedules and a spike in demand for alternative hubs such as Doha and Muscat.
Travellers now forced to reconsider flights or secure alternative transit visas can streamline the paperwork through VisaHQ’s Czech portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/). The service provides fast electronic visa processing, passport renewals and real-time alerts on changing Gulf-state entry rules—support that can prove invaluable when routes are diverted at short notice.
Airspace closures across Iran, Iraq, Israel, the UAE and Qatar make route-planning unpredictable, while Prague lacks diplomatic staff on the ground sufficient to mount a large-scale operation. Only three Czechs are currently registered in Iran, and they have been given instructions on shelter-in-place procedures and potential over-land exit options via Armenia or Türkiye. The Minister underlined that any commercial rescue flights would depend on the reopening of regional corridors and the willingness of carriers to operate in a high-risk zone. The impact is already being felt at home: Prague’s Václav Havel Airport confirmed the cancellation of five departures—three to Tel Aviv and two to Dubai—after the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority suspended inbound movements at Dubai International and Ben Gurion Airport shut down entirely. Airlines have begun re-routing aircraft around Iranian and Iraqi airspace, adding up to two hours to flights to Southeast Asia and Australia; travel-management companies are flagging higher ticket prices and advising corporations to review duty-of-care policies for staff transiting the Middle East. Industry groups fear wider knock-on effects. The Czech Association of Travel Agencies (ACK) estimates that package operators have between 2,000 and 3,000 customers in Dubai alone. Under Czech and EU package-tour rules, agencies must provide accommodation, meals and alternative transport for at least three days if customers are stranded, potentially triggering millions of crowns in extra costs. Logistics analysts, meanwhile, warn that further hostilities could disrupt container shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, raising freight prices for Czech importers of electronics and automotive components. For global-mobility professionals, the episode is a stark reminder of how fast geopolitical risks can upend carefully planned assignments. Companies with staff on business trips or short-term postings in the Gulf have been advised to: 1) confirm the whereabouts of employees and ensure they are enrolled in MFA alerts; 2) review insurance coverage for conflict zones, which many standard travel-medical policies exclude; 3) prepare contingency routing via Istanbul or Athens should east-bound traffic over the Middle East remain restricted; and 4) update crisis-response protocols to reflect the MFA’s tightened stance. With the Minister warning the operation “may last weeks,” mobility managers should expect sustained volatility in air schedules and a spike in demand for alternative hubs such as Doha and Muscat.
