Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI) reported on 8 March that more than 25,000 nationals have now been brought home from the Middle East since hostilities erupted at the end of February. In a press briefing at the Farnesina, Deputy Prime-Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said another 5,000 Italians had landed overnight on special and commercial flights organised or facilitated by the ministry’s crisis unit. The bulk of the evacuees came from Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar, with smaller groups extracted from Iraq, Lebanon, Thailand, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Charter operations through Muscat and Abu Dhabi continue to be the main lifeline for stranded tourists.(ansa.it)
Tajani confirmed that staff numbers at Italy’s embassies in Baghdad and Beirut have been reduced “for security reasons,” but insisted that consular services remain operational through mobile teams and the digital FAST-IT platform. He again urged anyone still in the region to register on the Viaggiare Sicuri/Dove Siamo Nel Mondo portals so that they can be included in future extraction flights and receive real-time security alerts.
Should returning citizens or companies need assistance with the rapidly changing visa or passport requirements that often follow major regional disruptions, VisaHQ can step in to manage the paperwork end-to-end, offer expedited processing and provide the latest entry guidance for Italy and onward destinations. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/italy/
![Italy evacuates 25,000 citizens from crisis-hit Middle East as Farnesina scales back embassies]()
Background: the Middle-East airspace closure on 1 March stranded an estimated 90,000 Italian tourists and business travellers across the Gulf. While most Gulf hubs have now partly reopened, capacity constraints and crew-duty-time limits mean that repatriation is taking place in waves. ITA Airways, Neos and several GCC carriers are operating “shadow” rotations without selling onward tickets in order to prioritise Italian citizens. The Foreign Ministry is underwriting a portion of the cost and waiving consular fees.
Business implications: • Employers with staff on assignment in the region should expect continuing disruption until at least mid-March. • Companies should refresh traveller tracking data and contingency plans in line with the Farnesina’s registration requirement. • Insurance providers are tightening policy wording around “known events,” so future bookings to the Gulf may no longer be fully covered unless travel is essential.
Practical advice: Travellers returning on government-facilitated flights need only their valid passport and the e-mail confirmation from the Crisis Unit. Luggage limits may be stricter than on normal services, and pets are not accepted. Rome Fiumicino has set up a dedicated arrivals channel (Terminal 5) to speed up immigration and baggage-reclaim formalities.
Tajani confirmed that staff numbers at Italy’s embassies in Baghdad and Beirut have been reduced “for security reasons,” but insisted that consular services remain operational through mobile teams and the digital FAST-IT platform. He again urged anyone still in the region to register on the Viaggiare Sicuri/Dove Siamo Nel Mondo portals so that they can be included in future extraction flights and receive real-time security alerts.
Should returning citizens or companies need assistance with the rapidly changing visa or passport requirements that often follow major regional disruptions, VisaHQ can step in to manage the paperwork end-to-end, offer expedited processing and provide the latest entry guidance for Italy and onward destinations. More information is available at https://www.visahq.com/italy/
Background: the Middle-East airspace closure on 1 March stranded an estimated 90,000 Italian tourists and business travellers across the Gulf. While most Gulf hubs have now partly reopened, capacity constraints and crew-duty-time limits mean that repatriation is taking place in waves. ITA Airways, Neos and several GCC carriers are operating “shadow” rotations without selling onward tickets in order to prioritise Italian citizens. The Foreign Ministry is underwriting a portion of the cost and waiving consular fees.
Business implications: • Employers with staff on assignment in the region should expect continuing disruption until at least mid-March. • Companies should refresh traveller tracking data and contingency plans in line with the Farnesina’s registration requirement. • Insurance providers are tightening policy wording around “known events,” so future bookings to the Gulf may no longer be fully covered unless travel is essential.
Practical advice: Travellers returning on government-facilitated flights need only their valid passport and the e-mail confirmation from the Crisis Unit. Luggage limits may be stricter than on normal services, and pets are not accepted. Rome Fiumicino has set up a dedicated arrivals channel (Terminal 5) to speed up immigration and baggage-reclaim formalities.
