AKP Phnom Penh, March 11, 2026 —

According to data from the Situation Centre of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, assistance has been provided and continues to be provided to more than 2,600 Bulgarian citizens who have left countries in the Middle East region and Iran, the Ministry said here on Monday. 

The figures are as of 9:30 a.m. on March 9. 

According to information from the Consulate General of Bulgaria in Dubai, airports there are currently open and at least three major foreign airlines are operating. 

A total of six flights to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been organized. Flights arranged by the task force of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Tourism helped 1,258 Bulgarians, while flights organized by tour operators assisted 876 Bulgarians. 

For all flights organized either by the government or by private companies, assistance on the ground was provided by the Consulate General of the Republic of Bulgaria in Dubai.  

On March 5, a flight operated by the State Aviation Operator departed from Abu Dhabi with 85 people on board. A special flight by GullivAir left Dubai the same day with 326 passengers. Another special flight by Bulgaria Air departed from Dubai on March 5 with 180 passengers. Two days later, another GullivAir special flight departed from Dubai with 326 people on board. These flights were organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

A special flight from Dubai carrying 220 people departed on March 7, and another flight with 121 passengers left the following day. These flights were organized with the assistance of the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism. 

Private companies also operated five flights from the UAE to Bulgaria at their own expense: one by Bohemia carrying 174 passengers, one by Bulgaria Air with 180 passengers, and three Flydubai flights with 174 passengers each. 

For Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, active preparations are underway to evacuate Bulgarian citizens via overland routes from Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, in three directions toward Saudi Arabia. A special flight with a capacity of 180 seats from Riyadh to Sofia is planned for March 10. 

So far, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry has organized the evacuation of 49 Bulgarians from Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Early on March 9, 15 Bulgarians arrived in Athens from Doha on a flight operated by a partner country. A total of 21 people from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar were evacuated on an Austrian flight from Riyadh to Vienna under the EU cooperation mechanism. Another 13 people were evacuated on a flight organized by Hungary from Riyadh to Budapest. 

With the assistance of the Bulgarian Embassy in Tel Aviv, 18 Bulgarian citizens staying in Israel for short-term visits have so far been evacuated via overland routes.

As of March 8, the airspace has begun to reopen gradually for outbound commercial flights under certain conditions. For now, flights from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv to various destinations will be operated only by Israeli airlines. Israeli authorities have introduced a limit of up to 100 passengers per flight. 

The Foreign Ministry in Sofia is analyzing developments in Lebanon and stands ready to take measures if necessary. So far, 35 Bulgarians have contacted the Bulgarian Embassy in Beirut, receiving information and recommendations regarding options for leaving Lebanon, including the civilian flights that are still available. 

The staff of the Bulgarian Embassy in Tehran - a total of 10 people, including six employees and four family members - were evacuated by land route to Baku. Of these, eight people have already returned to Bulgaria. 

The Bulgarian Embassy in Baghdad provided critical assistance to a Bulgarian woman who was evacuated from Iran via an overland route.

On March 5, 111 Bulgarian citizens from Oman returned to Sofia on a Bulgaria Air flight from Salalah, located about 1,000 km from the capital Muscat. Another seven people left Oman with the Foreign Ministry's via individual travel routes. 

A total of 130 Bulgarian tourists from tour operator agencies received assistance from the Bulgarian Embassy in Jordan. 

A total of 20 Bulgarians have been evacuated overland from Iraq through the borders with Turkiye or Jordan.

AKP-BTA