German tour operators and the German Travel Association (DRV) confirmed on 2 March that at least 30,000 package-holiday customers are stuck in resorts and transit hubs after Iran closed its airspace and Gulf states followed suit in response to US-Israeli strikes. Lufthansa, Eurowings, Condor and TUI fly were forced to cancel or divert hundreds of services over the weekend, while charter carriers scrambled to position rescue aircraft outside the no-fly zones. The Foreign Ministry’s crisis-response centre convened for the third time in 48 hours and urged travellers to register in the ELEFAND system so they can receive “Landsleutebrief” safety bulletins.
![Middle East war leaves 30,000 German holiday-makers stranded worldwide]()
For those needing sudden visa extensions or alternative travel documents because of the disruption, VisaHQ can streamline applications online and provide up-to-the-minute guidance on changing consular rules; German citizens and residents can start the process at https://www.visahq.com/germany/
Large consular teams were dispatched to Dubai, Doha and Muscat to negotiate hotel allotments and organise overland transfers to airports still open in Egypt and Turkey. Travel-management companies say this is the worst disruption to German outbound travel since the 2020 COVID border closures. Corporates with assignees in the Gulf reported extra costs of €1,500–€2,200 per traveller for emergency accommodation and re-routing. Risk-management firm A3M Global Monitoring warned that “secondary effects” such as shortages of aircraft parts could hit European schedules for weeks. Employers have been reminded that under §17a Abs. 2 WHA they must continue to pay per-diems and medical coverage for assignees who cannot leave the region. Immigration advisers say overstays on Schengen visas caused by flight cancellations will generally be tolerated, but travellers should keep boarding passes and airline letters as evidence when re-entering Germany.
For those needing sudden visa extensions or alternative travel documents because of the disruption, VisaHQ can streamline applications online and provide up-to-the-minute guidance on changing consular rules; German citizens and residents can start the process at https://www.visahq.com/germany/
Large consular teams were dispatched to Dubai, Doha and Muscat to negotiate hotel allotments and organise overland transfers to airports still open in Egypt and Turkey. Travel-management companies say this is the worst disruption to German outbound travel since the 2020 COVID border closures. Corporates with assignees in the Gulf reported extra costs of €1,500–€2,200 per traveller for emergency accommodation and re-routing. Risk-management firm A3M Global Monitoring warned that “secondary effects” such as shortages of aircraft parts could hit European schedules for weeks. Employers have been reminded that under §17a Abs. 2 WHA they must continue to pay per-diems and medical coverage for assignees who cannot leave the region. Immigration advisers say overstays on Schengen visas caused by flight cancellations will generally be tolerated, but travellers should keep boarding passes and airline letters as evidence when re-entering Germany.
