Muscat: Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu announced that his country has reached an agreement with the Sultanate of Oman to operate additional flights to evacuate passengers stranded in the region due to airspace closures caused by the war. Uraloglu stated in a post published Sunday on his account on the Turkish social media platform "InSocial" that he discussed with his Omani counterpart, Said bin Hamoud Al-Maawali, the organization of additional flights to evacuate passengers in the region via Oman. This follows the attacks launched by the United States and Israel on Iran and the subsequent Iranian response, which led to the closure of most airspace in the region.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Uraloglu explained that the ongoing war in the Middle East and the associated airspace closures have prompted large-scale evacuations of passengers via Oman, noting that Turkish airlines are prepared to operate additional flights, particularly through Muscat Airport. He added that Turkish Airlines has been operating additional flights to Muscat since the outbreak of the clashes to ensure the safe evacuation of Turkish citizens and other travelers from the region.

Ural Oglu said, "Despite the current congestion, during our discussions with Omani Transport Minister Said bin Hamoud Al Maawali, we reached an agreement to operate additional flights for Omani and Turkish airlines in the coming days." He emphasized that Turkey is taking all necessary steps to ensure the safe return of its citizens and all passengers in the region to their countries despite the exceptional circumstances.

Several countries in the region had closed their airspace to air traffic as a security measure, coinciding with some of them being subjected to missile strikes as part of the Iranian response to the war waged by the US and Israel.