Iran war: Middle Eastern airways slowly resume flights to Australia as gulf airspaces reopen

Middle Eastern airways are slowly resuming flights as gulf airspaces reopen since the war in Iran broke out, including on Australian routes.

Two flights from the UAE and Qatar touched down in Australia on Monday morning, one to Melbourne and another to Sydney, with five more departing from the gulf cities in the afternoon.

Almost 2000 Australians have arrived home since the direct flights opened up after the US-Israel strikes on Iran prompted a string of retaliatory attacks across the region.

Two flights were scheduled to depart for Perth on Monday — with Emirates’ EK420 leaving Dubai at 2.15am local time (9.15am AEDT) and Qatar Airways flight QR900 departing Doha at 5.35am local time (2.35pm AEDT).

While airlines are trying to reestablish services, planes returning to Australia have been notably empty as prices, avenues to airports, and airspace closures remain volatile.

One flight into Perth on Friday night reported about 60 passengers, while another across the weekend only filled around 95 seats.

It comes as there are more than 115,000 Australians thought to be in the region and about 11,000 on average travelling through it via international flights daily.

But flight prices out of the three major flight hubs of Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi have varied, with some priced at $900 to Australia while other online quotes are north of $5000.

Coalition members have voiced their disappointment in the government’s efforts to help Australians but Foreign Minister Penny Wong has insisted she’s engaging in a solution with gulf counterparts.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Monday were working with other international allies, including Canada, to support Australians who want to leave the Middle East.

The UK and EU are also launching large-scale operations to evacuate hundreds of thousands of their citizens from the conflict zone.

The Australian Government has directed the departure of dependents of Australian officials posted to the UAE later on Sunday evening, due to the deteriorating security situation.

Iranian attacks continued throughout Monday on Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel and Lebanon.

The retaliatory attacks have angered Donald Trump with the impact on the Strait of Hormuz — the only corridor from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean — prompting the global oil prices to peak to nearly $120 per barrel.

At least six tourism cruise liners carrying an estimated 15,000 passengers are also stuck in the conflict zone.

A drone attack on the Bahrain island of Sitra has reportedly injured 32 people, including children.

An Australian expat in the UAE told The Nightly that the mood had shifted in the region as the war dragged on with many previously staying put considering flights back to Australia.

They said many were opting to try to get flights out of UAE, Dubai, or Abu Dhabi or even driving to Muscat airport in Oman to leave.

It comes as the war entered a new phase on Monday as the 88-member panel of the Members of the Iranian Assembly of Experts selected the second eldest son of Ali Khamenei as Iran’s supreme leader.

State-run media has officially announced Mojtaba Hosseini Khamenei, 56, has been appointed.

Transport Minister Catherine King on Monday said the Albanese government was watching what was unfolding in the Middle East conflict but admitted the economy impact was inevitable.

“We’ll continue to monitor what’s happening, both in the Middle East, but also obviously its impact on the economy here in Australia. There is no doubt that it will have an impact here on the economy in Australia,” she said.

Shadow Foreign Minister Ted O’Brien acknowledged that the fuel supply concerns had been a “serious wake up call” but insisted that “Australia needs to stand very firmly in support of the United States and Israel” during their efforts in Iran to dismantle its nuclear program.

“There’s no doubt we’ve got a long way to go and this has been a serious wake up call to the dangers of not having sufficient liquid fuels in the country,” he said.

“We have just over 30 days and so the government isn’t reaching the requirement, which is why we’ve got an issue now, not just for motorists who are going to cop higher prices, but when it comes to farmers, in particular, if this gives rise to food security issues, you are going to see a real problem.”

Australia’s ambassador to Qatar Shane Flanagan on Sunday urged travellers to secure a commercial flight where possible and to keep up-to-date with last minute changes.

“We continue to work closely with airlines and the Qatari authorities to make more options available and we are grateful for their cooperation and efforts to schedule additional flights,” he said.

Several of the airlines have opened up free rebookings or refunds for passengers travelling through the Middle East, with eligibility windows extending as far as March 31 and May 15 respectively.

Qatar Airways is providing similar flexibility for those with travel dates between February 28 and March 15 due to the ongoing conflict.

NEED TO KNOW:

Smartraveller has continued to advise Australians do not travel to Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, the UAE and Yemen.

Australians should also reconsider the need to travel to Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia and exercise a “high degree of caution” in Azerbaijan.

Registration for DFAT’s Crisis Portal is open for Australians in Bahrain, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon, and the UAE.

Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Australian Government 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre: +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas 1300 555 135 in Australia.