Poland has mounted one of its largest civilian-evacuation operations in decades, flying more than 2,800 nationals home from the Middle East between 1 and 6 March 2026. Prime Minister Donald Tusk told reporters after chairing a crisis-management meeting on 6 March that eight rescue flights—six from the UAE and two from Oman—were planned for the day, with additional sorties on standby for Qatar. The scramble follows the 28 February assassination of Iran’s supreme leader and subsequent missile exchanges that shut down large parts of the region’s civilian air network. Polish flag-carrier LOT has redeployed wide-body aircraft to military bases in Oman, while two C-295M transports are positioned in Riyadh to pick up stranded tourists transiting overland from Doha. All government VIP jets have been handed to the evacuation taskforce, and military hospitals are on alert for trauma cases. EU Civil Protection Mechanism funding was approved on condition that empty seats be made available to other EU citizens. Corporate-security advisers say the arrangement underscores the importance of registering business travellers on consular STEP lists, as seat allocation is prioritised by embassy databases.
![Warsaw airlifts 2,800 Poles from Gulf region as conflict widens]()
Amid such logistical hurdles, travellers can streamline visa and documentation concerns before crises hit by using services like VisaHQ, which offers fast, online visa processing and real-time status updates for Polish citizens heading to Gulf destinations and beyond (https://www.visahq.com/poland/). The platform’s alerts and expert guidance can reduce administrative delays, helping companies and individuals remain flexible when evacuation orders come at short notice.
For mobility managers the episode is a warning to review evacuation clauses in assignment contracts covering high-risk destinations. Companies with staff still in the Gulf are urged to map alternative exit routes via Kuwait or Saudi coastal airports, as Polish authorities expect flight-permission windows to open and close with little notice while Iran’s retaliation pattern remains unpredictable. Tusk promised daily public briefings and criticised airlines that failed to communicate clearly with passengers. “Even a message saying ‘expect delays’ is better than silence,” he said, highlighting the reputational stakes for carriers and employers alike during crisis evacuations.
Amid such logistical hurdles, travellers can streamline visa and documentation concerns before crises hit by using services like VisaHQ, which offers fast, online visa processing and real-time status updates for Polish citizens heading to Gulf destinations and beyond (https://www.visahq.com/poland/). The platform’s alerts and expert guidance can reduce administrative delays, helping companies and individuals remain flexible when evacuation orders come at short notice.
For mobility managers the episode is a warning to review evacuation clauses in assignment contracts covering high-risk destinations. Companies with staff still in the Gulf are urged to map alternative exit routes via Kuwait or Saudi coastal airports, as Polish authorities expect flight-permission windows to open and close with little notice while Iran’s retaliation pattern remains unpredictable. Tusk promised daily public briefings and criticised airlines that failed to communicate clearly with passengers. “Even a message saying ‘expect delays’ is better than silence,” he said, highlighting the reputational stakes for carriers and employers alike during crisis evacuations.
