Belgium’s Foreign Affairs Ministry confirmed that the first evacuation flight carrying Belgian and other EU nationals out of the Gulf landed safely at Brussels Airport (Zaventem) at 07:30 on Sunday, 8 March 2026. The charter—a Cyprus Airways Airbus A321—left Muscat, Oman late Saturday, made a technical stop in Hurghada, Egypt, and delivered 234 passengers, including 195 Belgians, 22 Spaniards, 13 French, two Luxembourgers and two Swedes.
![Belgium Completes First Large-Scale Repatriation Flight From Gulf Conflict Zone]()
For travellers who still need to secure last-minute visas for third-country family members or future redeployments, VisaHQ can remove much of the administrative stress. The service’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) provides up-to-date entry requirements and expedited processing options, giving evacuees and employers a reliable alternative when consular desks are overloaded.
The operation is Belgium’s largest single repatriation effort since the Covid-19 lockdowns and was triggered by escalating drone and missile attacks on commercial hubs around the Arabian Gulf. In parallel, the Belgian Air Component deployed two A400M air-lifters to the UAE to shuttle evacuees from Dubai to Hurghada, where an MRTT tanker aircraft is ferrying them on to Brussels. Each military rotation can carry roughly 100 passengers; two such rotations are scheduled for Sunday night into Monday morning. Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pierre Stervlynck warned of possible two-to-five-hour delays due to fluid security conditions and last-minute airspace closures. A dedicated crisis-cell at the Belgian Embassy in Abu Dhabi is coordinating manifests with other EU missions to maximise seat utilisation. In total, some 900 Belgians have requested extraction; officials expect to move around 560 people this weekend and to schedule further lifts later in the week if the security situation allows. For employers with staff on assignment in the Gulf, the flights ease immediate duty-of-care concerns but raise difficult questions about project continuity. Insurance brokers report a spike in inquiries about “unplanned evacuation” riders, while relocation firms are dealing with short-notice housing terminations and pet-transport logistics. Companies are advised to review their emergency-response plans: Belgian authorities require travellers to register any onward travel within 48 hours of arrival, and mental-health support should be made available for evacuees. The successful arrival also tests Brussels Airport’s crisis-handling capacity just days before a nationwide general strike is expected to shut down all departures on 12 March. Airport CEO Arnaud Feist said ground-handling companies have set up a fast-track clearance process for evacuees, but warned that connecting flights could still be impacted by staffing shortages later in the week.
For travellers who still need to secure last-minute visas for third-country family members or future redeployments, VisaHQ can remove much of the administrative stress. The service’s Belgium portal (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) provides up-to-date entry requirements and expedited processing options, giving evacuees and employers a reliable alternative when consular desks are overloaded.
The operation is Belgium’s largest single repatriation effort since the Covid-19 lockdowns and was triggered by escalating drone and missile attacks on commercial hubs around the Arabian Gulf. In parallel, the Belgian Air Component deployed two A400M air-lifters to the UAE to shuttle evacuees from Dubai to Hurghada, where an MRTT tanker aircraft is ferrying them on to Brussels. Each military rotation can carry roughly 100 passengers; two such rotations are scheduled for Sunday night into Monday morning. Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pierre Stervlynck warned of possible two-to-five-hour delays due to fluid security conditions and last-minute airspace closures. A dedicated crisis-cell at the Belgian Embassy in Abu Dhabi is coordinating manifests with other EU missions to maximise seat utilisation. In total, some 900 Belgians have requested extraction; officials expect to move around 560 people this weekend and to schedule further lifts later in the week if the security situation allows. For employers with staff on assignment in the Gulf, the flights ease immediate duty-of-care concerns but raise difficult questions about project continuity. Insurance brokers report a spike in inquiries about “unplanned evacuation” riders, while relocation firms are dealing with short-notice housing terminations and pet-transport logistics. Companies are advised to review their emergency-response plans: Belgian authorities require travellers to register any onward travel within 48 hours of arrival, and mental-health support should be made available for evacuees. The successful arrival also tests Brussels Airport’s crisis-handling capacity just days before a nationwide general strike is expected to shut down all departures on 12 March. Airport CEO Arnaud Feist said ground-handling companies have set up a fast-track clearance process for evacuees, but warned that connecting flights could still be impacted by staffing shortages later in the week.
