Middle East repatriation flights cost Estonian state €800,000
Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) said the cost to the Estonian state of the seven special flights organized by the ministry totaled around €800,000, which was less than initially planned.
"The total cost of the seven special flights organized to bring home Estonian citizens who had been travelling in the United Arab Emirates, as well as their family members holding Estonian residence permits, is approximately €1,476,000, of which less than €800,000 will be covered by the Estonian state," Tsahkna explained.
"The remaining amount will be covered by passengers' own contributions and the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, for which Estonia has applied, as some of the flights also carried citizens of other EU countries. Last Monday we planned five special flights with a budget of around €1 million," he added.
"Last week Estonia activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) in the consular field for the first time, which allows us to receive EU co-financing for organizing assisted departures of citizens," the minister continued.
"Through seven special flights we evacuated more than 1,000 people from the region, including 855 Estonian citizens, their family members and citizens of other EU countries."
Tsahkna also said that a few Estonian citizens remain in the region and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is dealing with them on an individual basis.
"I would also ask anyone who is still in the region and has not yet contacted us to do so via the Reisi Targalt (Travel Smart) page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website," Tsahkna added.
"We are aware that there has been some confusion among those who were in Dubai about whether the UAE will compensate the additional accommodation costs caused by canceled flights," Tsahkna said, adding that he had also discussed the matter with his UAE counterpart.
"We are currently collecting information on all Estonian citizens and their family members holding residence permits who had to extend their accommodation in Dubai due to disruptions to air traffic and will forward this information to the UAE authorities in order to receive the promised compensation."
All Estonian citizens who were in Dubai and incurred additional accommodation costs due to canceled flights are asked to submit their details on the website of the Estonian Embassy in Abu Dhabi here (in Estonian).
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Editor: Michael Cole
