A second German government evacuation flight is expected to land in Frankfurt on Friday morning, bringing home Germans stranded in the Gulf region amid the ongoing Iran war. According to Frankfurt Airport, the Condor aircraft is scheduled to touch down shortly before 11:00 am. The plane departed from Muscat in Oman and made a stopover in Hurghada, Egypt, overnight.
The flight had originally been expected in Germany on Thursday evening, but its departure was significantly delayed. Numerous airports across the Gulf region have been closed or are operating under severe restrictions due to Iranian strikes, though Muscat has remained operational. Travellers from other Gulf states were transported to Muscat overland before boarding.
The first evacuation flight in this operation landed in Frankfurt on Thursday morning. The Lufthansa Airbus A340 carried more than 250 people, according to Federal Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU). At least two further evacuation flights are planned, one again from Muscat and a fourth from Saudi Arabia."We are currently also planning a fourth special flight, this time from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia," Wadephul said in an online video on Thursday evening. He added that it was being assessed whether further special flights would be "necessary and possible" after that.
Under consular law, evacuees are required to contribute €500 towards the cost of the flight. To receive information about upcoming flights, those affected must register on the Foreign Office crisis preparedness list known as "Elefand."
Iran launched strikes on US military bases in the Gulf states in response to massive attacks by the United States and Israel, but also targeted civilian infrastructure across the region. Airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait and Manama in Bahrain were among the sites hit.
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