Four Smartwings aircraft are scheduled to depart for Oman on Monday, March 2, 2026, to bring Czech citizens home from the Middle East, following recent U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran. The repatriation effort comes as regional tensions escalate and airspace restrictions impact travel.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš announced Sunday evening that three planes will head to Muscat and one to Salalah, with each Boeing 737 Max capable of carrying up to 189 passengers, offering a total of 756 seats.
According to Babiš, approximately 650 citizens have expressed interest in repatriation out of the 6,650 Czech nationals registered in the Drozd travel system as being in the Middle East.
Smartwings spokesperson Vladimíra Dufková confirmed the planned flights to Oman, stating that flights to Israel and the United Arab Emirates remain suspended due to airspace closures. She added that the airline is prepared to resume flights to those destinations “immediately” once airspace reopens.
The Czech Republic is also prepared to deploy a Casa military aircraft to Egypt, should the need arise, to transport Czech citizens from Israel via bus, Babiš said.
Citizens requiring assistance are encouraged to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emergency hotline at +420 222 420 222, which has been reinforced to handle increased demand. A meeting of the State Security Council is scheduled for Monday to discuss the repatriation efforts.
As of Saturday morning, approximately 3,500 Czech citizens were registered in the United Arab Emirates and around 900 in Oman through the Drozd system. Hundreds more are in Jordan and Israel, with smaller numbers in Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Bahrain, and Kuwait. A small number of citizens were also registered in Iran, Iraq, and Syria.
