With Qatari airspace still shut, Australia has struck an unusual deal to bus stranded citizens from Doha across the Saudi border to Riyadh, where commercial flights are more readily available. Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said on Saturday that coaches will run twice daily, with DFAT funding overnight transit accommodation and on-the-ground escorts.
Roughly 115,000 Australians were believed to be in the broader Middle East when hostilities erupted last weekend. Since Wednesday, eight commercial flights organised with Etihad and Emirates have brought 1,324 people home, but passenger advocates complain aircraft are leaving half-empty because of chaotic ticketing.
Amid the scramble for seats, some travellers are discovering that lapsed visas or missing transit paperwork create an extra hurdle. VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) can fast-track visa and passport services online, giving passengers a one-stop option to sort documentation while DFAT coordinates transport out of the region.
![Canberra opens Doha–Riyadh bus bridge as repatriation effort ramps up]()
The government is reviewing options for dedicated charter flights but insists commercial seats remain the fastest route home. DFAT’s Crisis Portal has been expanded to include Bahrain, Kuwait and Lebanon, and Smartraveller maintains its "do not travel" advisory for 12 regional countries.
Corporate security firms are telling employers with expatriates in the Gulf to dust off evacuation plans drawn up during the 2020 pandemic. Mining giant BHP has activated its internal travel-tracking system to account for 231 staff on secondment in Oman and the UAE.
Opposition MPs argue the government should foot the bill for chartered wide-body flights, but airlines say demand is cresting just as spare aircraft are being diverted to longer detours around closed corridors. In the meantime, the Doha–Riyadh bus bridge provides at least one overland escape hatch for Australians caught in Qatar’s aviation dead-end.
Roughly 115,000 Australians were believed to be in the broader Middle East when hostilities erupted last weekend. Since Wednesday, eight commercial flights organised with Etihad and Emirates have brought 1,324 people home, but passenger advocates complain aircraft are leaving half-empty because of chaotic ticketing.
Amid the scramble for seats, some travellers are discovering that lapsed visas or missing transit paperwork create an extra hurdle. VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) can fast-track visa and passport services online, giving passengers a one-stop option to sort documentation while DFAT coordinates transport out of the region.
The government is reviewing options for dedicated charter flights but insists commercial seats remain the fastest route home. DFAT’s Crisis Portal has been expanded to include Bahrain, Kuwait and Lebanon, and Smartraveller maintains its "do not travel" advisory for 12 regional countries.
Corporate security firms are telling employers with expatriates in the Gulf to dust off evacuation plans drawn up during the 2020 pandemic. Mining giant BHP has activated its internal travel-tracking system to account for 231 staff on secondment in Oman and the UAE.
Opposition MPs argue the government should foot the bill for chartered wide-body flights, but airlines say demand is cresting just as spare aircraft are being diverted to longer detours around closed corridors. In the meantime, the Doha–Riyadh bus bridge provides at least one overland escape hatch for Australians caught in Qatar’s aviation dead-end.
