Second flight to Ireland from Middle East expected on Thursday – McEntee

There will be a second direct flight from the Middle East to Dublin on Thursday, the Minister for Foreign Affairs has said.

Helen McEntee said she is “in constant engagement with the airlines to see how many direct flights we can get to Dublin” as she spoke to reporters on Wednesday.

She told the media that Irish passengers are also on other flights, and confirmed the government charter plane will leave from the Middle East “later this week”.

The conflict between Iran and the US and Israel has caused widespread airspace closures in the Middle East, sparking major disruption to flights.

The Irish Government said an estimated 22,000 to 23,000 Irish citizens are in the Middle East region.

The first flight from Dubai to Ireland since its outbreak is due to land in Dublin airport on Wednesday night.

Ms McEntee said more than 400 people are due to arrive on that flight and on Thursday’s flight, but that she “expected” some non-Irish passengers on board.

“In the same way we know that Irish citizens have gotten on flights directly towards London and other parts of Europe, and then they’re transiting home,” she said.

“But obviously, if there’s a direct flight to Dublin, I would expect a huge proportion of those on the flight would be Irish citizens.”

For those looking to travel home to Ireland, Ms McEntee said commercial flights are the quickest routes.

“For most people in the UAE, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai, the quickest way home for them is to get a commercial flight.

“The airlines themselves are directly going through their own passenger list, and they’re trying to get as many of those who are caught in transit, those who are on holidays, on those flights and home.”

She said, “no country is getting access” to the commercial flight lists: “Any of the commercial flights, these are flight lists that the airlines have, they’re their customers that they have been dealing directly with.”

Ms McEntee had said on Tuesday evening that the Irish Government would charter a flight for around 280 people from Oman, a country neighbouring the United Arab Emirates (UAE), for later this week.

The minister said she is looking at a “flight of over 300 people”.

Asked about the cost to passengers she said it is a “substantially reduced charge compared to what the cost of the overall flight is”.

She said that children are flying free and a bus bringing people to Muscat in Oman will also be free, adding: “Of course, if there are people in significant difficulty, we will support them.

“We will make sure that they can get on the flight if they need to get home.”

She said Irish authorities are contacting “everybody that will be on that flight” and they are “making sure that those who are most vulnerable, that they will be on that first flight”.

She also encouraged anyone “looking to get home” to register with her department but said: “It does not mean that you are registering to come home.

“It means that you are alerting us to the fact that you’re in the region.”

A flight from Dublin to the emirate departed at 1.30pm on Wednesday – the first departure from Ireland to the Middle East since Saturday.

Dublin airport posted a video of flight EK162 on the social media website X, describing it as “a very welcome sight”.