The Czech Foreign Ministry’s DROZD travel-tracking database shows a sharp overnight drop in the number of nationals still present in the war-affected Middle East. As of 10:00 this morning, only 3,750 Czech citizens remain registered—550 fewer than yesterday—thanks to a continuing air-bridge of repatriation flights operated by Smartwings and Emirates. A charter that landed at Václav Havel Airport at dawn brought home 189 people from Dubai, still the single largest concentration of Czech tourists in the region.
Ministry officials attribute the decline to a week-long evacuation effort launched after US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered drone and missile retaliation that disrupted Gulf airspace. While commercial services have partially resumed, the government is maintaining daily charters from Dubai, Muscat and Riyadh until at least 12 March.
Interestingly, Foreign Minister Petr Macinka noted on national television that “the majority of registered Czechs are choosing to stay”, often because they are long-term expatriates or believe the situation will stabilise quickly. Officials nonetheless urge all citizens to keep their DROZD profiles current and to cancel registration upon safe return—a step many overlook, skewing real-time data and complicating crisis logistics.
![Conflict-Driven Repatriations: Number of Czechs Registered in DROZD Middle East Falls to 3,750]()
For travellers who suddenly need to reroute or secure fresh visas as plans evolve, VisaHQ can take the administrative burden off their shoulders. Through its Czech portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/), the service offers real-time entry requirements, rapid processing and expert guidance for more than 200 destinations—particularly useful when flight paths shift and alternative stopovers become necessary.
For global-mobility teams the episode offers two lessons. First, enrolling travelling staff in DROZD (or an equivalent) is no longer optional; evacuation lists are now generated directly from such systems. Second, employers should review force-majeure clauses in assignment letters: several firms had to absorb unexpected hotel and ticket costs for dependants who were not on the company travel manifest.
With tensions still high, Czech insurers have raised premiums for trips to the wider Gulf by 12 percent effective Monday, and at least two multinational HR departments told Global Mobility News they have postponed rotational assignments to Oman and Qatar until airspace stability returns.
Ministry officials attribute the decline to a week-long evacuation effort launched after US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered drone and missile retaliation that disrupted Gulf airspace. While commercial services have partially resumed, the government is maintaining daily charters from Dubai, Muscat and Riyadh until at least 12 March.
Interestingly, Foreign Minister Petr Macinka noted on national television that “the majority of registered Czechs are choosing to stay”, often because they are long-term expatriates or believe the situation will stabilise quickly. Officials nonetheless urge all citizens to keep their DROZD profiles current and to cancel registration upon safe return—a step many overlook, skewing real-time data and complicating crisis logistics.
For travellers who suddenly need to reroute or secure fresh visas as plans evolve, VisaHQ can take the administrative burden off their shoulders. Through its Czech portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/), the service offers real-time entry requirements, rapid processing and expert guidance for more than 200 destinations—particularly useful when flight paths shift and alternative stopovers become necessary.
For global-mobility teams the episode offers two lessons. First, enrolling travelling staff in DROZD (or an equivalent) is no longer optional; evacuation lists are now generated directly from such systems. Second, employers should review force-majeure clauses in assignment letters: several firms had to absorb unexpected hotel and ticket costs for dependants who were not on the company travel manifest.
With tensions still high, Czech insurers have raised premiums for trips to the wider Gulf by 12 percent effective Monday, and at least two multinational HR departments told Global Mobility News they have postponed rotational assignments to Oman and Qatar until airspace stability returns.
