Evacuation flight demand surges during Iran conflict

• Security company: twelvefold rise
• Help requests across sectors
• 100,000 exit via Muscat

Multinational companies are scrambling to move staff to safer locations outside the Gulf, driving a twelvefold surge in demand for services from global health and security company International SOS.

This increase comes as national carriers race to evacuate travellers stranded by the US-Israel and Iran conflict, with airlines adding emergency flights and Oman’s Muscat International Airport emerging as a regional hub for onward departures to Europe, Asia and Africa.

International SOS, which counts about 60 percent of Fortune Global 500 companies as clients, has supported more than 3,000 assistance cases and provided guidance to more than 1,100 clients since the escalation started, eight days ago.

“These volumes have never been seen before in 40 years of existence,” Sebastien Bedu, general manager, Middle East for International SOS told AGBI. “It’s been the most intense period of support that we’ve ever given to our clients worldwide.”

Requests for help have come from companies operating in sectors including fast moving consumer goods, energy operators, financial institutions and aviation firms, said Bedu.

He said the company has been helping people from the Middle East, Europe, Southeast Asia, US and Africa. “Absolutely everybody,” he said. “Our mandate is to help everyone and every client organisation that we work with. Whoever needs assistance.”

Further reading:

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International SOS has helped organise four chartered flights out of the region from Muscat International Airport, while more than 600 people have been evacuated by bus from the UAE over the border into Oman and on to Muscat.

“We’ve seen a number of firms requiring assistance, not necessarily for all of their staff, to travel to Oman and then potentially on to further destinations,” said Bedu.

Almost 100,000 passengers have departed Muscat International Airport on Oman Air flights over the past week on scheduled and emergency flights, with plans to add further frequencies to expedite evacuations from the region.

Oman Air said on Monday it has operated almost 80 extra flights to help return people home. Although the closure of regional airspace has impacted flights within the Middle East, the majority of its network to Europe, Southeast Asia and Africa is operating as planned.

“Additional bus support services have also been made available for those crossing the land border from the UAE to Oman to catch onward flights,” the carrier said in a statement on X.

Almost one-fifth of flights from Muscat were cancelled on Sunday. This compared to 44 percent in Dubai, 75 percent in Abu Dhabi, 97 percent in Doha and 100 percent in Bahrain, according to the latest data from aviation analytics company Cirium.

Qatar Airways has announced plans for 10 emergency departures from Doha on Monday, including to London’s Heathrow Airport, Madrid and Istanbul. This will increase to 15 on Tuesday.

“These flights do not constitute a confirmation of resumption of scheduled commercial operations,” the carrier said in a statement.

Etihad Airways, meanwhile, has scheduled 22 flights to leave the UAE capital on Monday, before increasing this to 23 flights on Tuesday.