Thousands of holidaymakers are stuck in the Middle East. With the US attack on Iran and the Iranian counterattacks on surrounding countries, the dream trip to the Gulf has become a state of emergency. Important airspaces are closed, flights are canceled, cruise ships are no longer maneuvering out of the ports. The federal government has started a return campaign. How do you get home quickly, who is liable and how do you get your money back? We clarify the most important questions.

The federal government’s repatriation campaign for travelers from the Middle East began on Tuesday morning. A first machine started from Dubai to Frankfurt am Main. Additional machines will initially be sent to Muscat in Oman and the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh. The airspace there is currently open. According to that Foreign Office Tens of thousands of people are affected; the travel industry speaks of 30,000 tourists from Germany who are currently stuck in the Middle East. Many of them are traveling on cruise ships, others have booked package holidays on land. There are also thousands of individual travelers and people who were traveling in the Middle East for professional reasons, as well as students on a semester abroad or young people doing voluntary service there.