The first extraordinary evacuation flight for Estonian citizens from the Middle East is due to depart from Muscat, the capital of Oman. The airspace over Dubai and Abu Dhabi remains closed.

Transportation will be arranged for Estonians in those locations to be able to reach Muscat for the flight. The first flight from the Omani capital to Estonia, with room for 180 passengers, will take place on Thursday at 4 p.m., with more planned for the coming days.

To purchase a ticket on one of the flights, it first necessary to register on the Reisi Targalt website here.

"First of all, we do not have comprehensive information about who is ready to leave tomorrow. We must take into account that the flight will depart from Muscat, not Dubai or Abu Dhabi. Therefore, it is important for us to know who is ready to get on the bus early tomorrow morning, which we are also organizing, in order to arrive in Muscat during the day and then board the plane," said Kerli Veski, deputy secretary general of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The price of the flight ticket is €400 a person, with an additional €50 transfer fee to avoid confusion and delays. The cost to the Estonian state is €1,000 per person.

Estonian journalist Ingrid Veidenberg, who is currently in Oman, said the price of a seat on one of the extraordinary flights is significantly cheaper than a regular tickets, which currently start at around €2,000.

She had already exchanged her flight tickets beforehand.

"We were lucky that Turkish Airlines flies from Oman, whereas airBaltic, for example, does not. Everything worked out, and we were able to get our return tickets to Estonia for Saturday. If the flight schedules remain unchanged, I really hope to be back for Anne Veski's concert at the Unibet Arena on Saturday evening," said Veidenberg.

Veidenberg decided to leave Dubai for Oman at noon on Sunday as the situation there had become too tense. The trip was long and there was a lot of waiting, but she now believes it was the right decision.

"There are hotel rooms available. I just checked Booking.com and saw that it is possible to book hotels at all price levels for today. I don't really understand the warning to stay in hotels and not move around, when the plane organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is departing from Muscat," she said.

"At the moment, our recommendation is for people to stay where they are," MFA Deputy Secretary General Kerli Veski explained.

"This is especially the case in the United Arab Emirates, where the host country is willing to cover the costs. We know that there is some confusion about this at the moment, but we expect the host country to keep its word," Veski added.

When the Iranian attacks began, there were 3,000 Estonian citizens in the region.

According to Middle East expert Hille Hanso, there is currently a highly time-critical window for evacuating people from the region.

"At the moment, it seems that various countries in the region are intervening in the conflict and that there is likely to be further escalation in the near future. The sooner we can get more Estonian people home safely, the better," Hanso said.

Hanso herself left Oman on one of the larger-than-usual 400-seater Turkish Airlines planes, which the company has used on the route due to the current situation.

"Most people just slept peacefully. Some were probably praying that we wouldn't encounter any ballistic missiles or drones in the air. But everything went well," Hanso said.

The flight out of Oman took an hour and a half longer than usual.

---

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!