On Saturday morning, the first planes arrived at Tallinn Airport. They brought Estonian tourists back home from Oman and Dubai.
Three charter flights departed on Friday evening. The first flight, Heston Airlines Airbus 320, had 180 passengers. The second flight, Air Baltic Airbus 220, had 140 people. The third flight landed in Riga.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs plans four more charter flights from Dubai. Two flights are on Saturday and two on Sunday. One Air Baltic flight is scheduled to depart from Dubai to Tallinn on Saturday evening. One Fly Dubai flight will go to Riga. On Sunday, one Fly Dubai flight will depart to Riga and one Heston flight to Tallinn.
Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said that no more charter flights are currently planned. Estonians will also be placed on flights from other countries.
The first evacuation flights from the east arrived at Tallinn Airport. Author/source: Priit Mürk/ERR.
Tsahkna said that the situation in the United Arab Emirates is very volatile. They are prepared for plan changes but are asking people to use their purchased tickets.
One Heston flight departing from Dubai on Sunday was fully booked by Friday evening. On Saturday morning, there were still seats available on Air Baltic and Fly Dubai flights.
Tsahkna said that assistance is being provided personally to Estonian citizens and their family members in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan, and Kuwait to help them return home.