Gulfnewsweek.com team,
An Air France charter flight sent to evacuate French nationals from the UAE was forced to turn back mid-air after missile activity was detected near Dubai, French authorities and the airline said.
The aircraft, which had been arranged as part of France’s efforts to repatriate its citizens amid escalating regional tensions, aborted its mission after the pilot received alerts about missile fire in the vicinity and decided to return for safety reasons.
French Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot said the incident underscores the growing challenges facing evacuation operations as the conflict in the region intensifies.
“The situation is a sign of the instability in the region and the complexity of repatriation efforts,” Tabarot said in a post on social media platform X.
France has already assisted about 750 people in leaving the region, while roughly 5,000 French nationals have requested help to depart, according to Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who confirmed the figures during an interview on French television on Thursday.
European governments have stepped up contingency plans to evacuate their citizens as the security situation across the Middle East deteriorates and airspace disruptions affect commercial and charter flights.
