Another 400 to fly from Dubai to Dublin as €800 Oman charter prioritises vulnerable passengers

Government prioritises vulnerable citizens for Oman charter as commercial and direct Dubai flights continue

An Emirates plane taxis to a gate at Dubai International Airport at Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Picture: AP Photo/Adam Schreck, File

A further 400 people are expected to fly from Dubai to Dublin tomorrow, as foreign affairs Minister Helen McEntee said “vulnerable people” will be prioritised for charter flights.

Ms McEntee said her department remains in “constant engagement” with airlines in the Middle East to return individuals to Ireland.

“I appreciate the longer this goes on, the more challenging and distressing it is for people who want to get home,” Ms McEntee said.

A plane carrying around 400 passengers back to Dublin departed Dubai this afternoon, marking the first direct flight from the Middle East to Ireland since Saturday.

Dubai Airport confirmed the flight departed and is expected to arrive in Dublin at around 10.15pm this evening.

Flights were grounded after the Israeli-US attack on Iran on Saturday and the retaliatory strikes that followed.

Services from Dubai have gradually resumed, with the first direct flight to Dublin scheduled to take off at 6pm Dubai time and land shortly after 10pm Irish time.

Speaking on Newstalk, foreign affairs minister Helen McEntee confirmed that about 400 passengers will travel on the first Emirates flight to Dublin.

“In the last few days, there have been a limited number of flights that are taking off, and, as you can imagine, they're going to every part of the world,” she said.

“We're not the only people trying to get our citizens out. We have, over the past few days, had a number of people who have been able to get to London or to Berlin or to other parts of Europe.

“But we now have confirmation, having been engaging with the airlines, that there will be a direct flight to Dublin today.

“That flight will have up to, if not a little bit more than, 400 people on it. That's obviously a really positive development, and we are pushing for more direct flights to Dublin.

“Hopefully, if it continues as is, so the airspace continues to allow these flights to get out, we would hope that more people would be able to get on those flights, and that we will have more direct flights to Dublin.” 

Ms McEntee said airlines are prioritising passengers stuck in transit in the Middle East or holidaying in the region.

Charter flight from Oman

Ms McEntee also confirmed the Government has signed a contract for a charter flight from Oman to bring Irish citizens back to Dublin on Thursday.

The flight is expected to carry 280 people who registered with the Irish Embassy in the UAE. Passengers will make a six- to eight-hour bus journey to Oman before boarding.

Ms McEntee said the charter flight would prioritise the most vulnerable and described it as the “first of many” if required.

She confirmed that Irish citizens travelling on the charter flight from Oman to Dublin will have to pay a charge.

It is understood the charge will apply to anyone aged 16 and over, with passengers paying €800 each.

One Government source said the fee aligns with previous repatriation flights organised by the Department of Foreign Affairs during the covid-19 pandemic.

The source said the Government is covering some of the cost of the flight.

Individuals who express interest in taking the charter will be asked to pay the costs via PayPal, with an invoice being sent directly from the Government.

While passengers will pay for the flight, there will be no charge for the bus journey to Oman, Ms McEntee added.

“Of course, if there are people in significant difficulty, we will support them. Wee will make sure that they can get on the flight if they need to get home and we can work with them beyond that,” Ms McEntee said.

She said the quickest way for Irish people to return home remains on commercial flights, with airlines contacting travellers directly.

Ms McEntee said that if the war is ongoing when Taoiseach Micheál Martin visits the White House in two weeks, he will stress that “we have to get people back around the table” to de-escalate and end the conflict in the Middle East.

She added: “Back around the table might sound soft, but that is the only option here. This is the only way that this is resolved and that people find a way forward, because anything other than that just creates further instability.”