Uzbekistan's private airline Centrum Air has evacuated 1,279 citizens of European countries who were stranded in Thailand and the Maldives due to the closure of airspace over Middle Eastern nations. The flights were operated with a stopover in Tashkent to transport passengers to Germany. According to the company's press service, four flights have been organized from Phuket, Bangkok, and the Maldives to Frankfurt am Main since March 6, with three more planned.

In total, seven flights are intended to evacuate 2,234 passengers. German tourism companies reportedly approached the airline with requests to organize these flights. To accommodate more passengers, Airbus A330 aircraft with 347 and 358 seats were selected. Centrum Air emphasized that the execution of these flights did not affect the schedule of its regular routes.

Simultaneously, as part of a repatriation program organized under the directive of Uzbekistan's leadership, 11,067 citizens have been returned to their homeland from Middle Eastern countries on Centrum Air aircraft. Specifically, to repatriate Umrah pilgrims from Jeddah and Medina (Saudi Arabia), 32 flights were operated from March 2 to March 10, transporting 9,714 passengers. Flights were conducted to both Tashkent and other cities.

Additionally, 956 passengers were returned via four flights from Dubai (UAE). Another 397 individuals were brought back via two flights from Doha (Qatar) through Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). Previously, Uzbekistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that over 25,000 citizens in total had been repatriated from the Persian Gulf region following the start of military actions by the US and Israeli regimes against Iran.

From March 10, Uzbekistan's aviation authorities lifted restrictions on passenger transportation to Saudi Arabia and the UAE, a move seen as an effort to mitigate the negative impact of the regional crisis on the aviation sector.

Source: www.gazeta.uz