Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirmed on Thursday (5 March 2026) that it will operate an emergency charter on Sunday to repatriate Finnish nationals who wish to leave the United Arab Emirates in the wake of escalating regional tensions. The one-off flight will depart from Muscat, Oman, rather than directly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi, because Omani airspace remains open to European carriers and the sultanate’s Muscat International Airport can handle a wide-body aircraft at short notice.
According to the MFA’s public advisory, online ticket sales will open as soon as over-flight and landing slots are finalised—most likely late Thursday night or Friday morning. Priority will be given to families with children, the elderly and other medically or psychologically vulnerable travellers. Passengers will pay a cost-price fare of €2 300 for the flight plus about €100 for an MFA-arranged coach transfer from the Emirates to Muscat. Consular staff will accompany the convoy to handle exit formalities and assist those with limited travel documents.
![Finland Schedules Emergency Evacuation Flight From UAE via Muscat]()
Travellers scrambling to sort out replacement passports, emergency visas or onward Schengen paperwork before departure can save precious time by using VisaHQ’s Finland portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/). The platform offers fast electronic applications, guidance from document specialists and courier options that are especially valuable when consular sections are backed up and every hour counts.
The evacuation follows heightened drone and missile activity in the Gulf that has prompted several EU member states to issue updated travel advisories. Finland has approximately 2 700 citizens registered as residing in, or visiting, the UAE; consular officials estimate that “a few hundred” may opt for the commercial-priced rescue flight rather than wait for scheduled airlines to resume normal operations.
For employers, the operation is a timely reminder to keep up-to-date traveller tracking records and to ensure that assignment contracts include clear evacuation and cost-sharing clauses. Finnish companies with staff across the GCC are being advised to review contingency plans, confirm insurance coverage for government-organised charters, and double-check the validity of employees’ Schengen travel documents in case onward routing through the EU becomes necessary.
According to the MFA’s public advisory, online ticket sales will open as soon as over-flight and landing slots are finalised—most likely late Thursday night or Friday morning. Priority will be given to families with children, the elderly and other medically or psychologically vulnerable travellers. Passengers will pay a cost-price fare of €2 300 for the flight plus about €100 for an MFA-arranged coach transfer from the Emirates to Muscat. Consular staff will accompany the convoy to handle exit formalities and assist those with limited travel documents.
Travellers scrambling to sort out replacement passports, emergency visas or onward Schengen paperwork before departure can save precious time by using VisaHQ’s Finland portal (https://www.visahq.com/finland/). The platform offers fast electronic applications, guidance from document specialists and courier options that are especially valuable when consular sections are backed up and every hour counts.
The evacuation follows heightened drone and missile activity in the Gulf that has prompted several EU member states to issue updated travel advisories. Finland has approximately 2 700 citizens registered as residing in, or visiting, the UAE; consular officials estimate that “a few hundred” may opt for the commercial-priced rescue flight rather than wait for scheduled airlines to resume normal operations.
For employers, the operation is a timely reminder to keep up-to-date traveller tracking records and to ensure that assignment contracts include clear evacuation and cost-sharing clauses. Finnish companies with staff across the GCC are being advised to review contingency plans, confirm insurance coverage for government-organised charters, and double-check the validity of employees’ Schengen travel documents in case onward routing through the EU becomes necessary.
