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Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has temporarily suspended flights to the Gulf region. <\/p>\n
Keystone \/ Christian Beutler <\/p>\n
Gulf states have closed their airspace as an emergency measure following strikes in Iran and retaliatory fire by the Islamic Republic. Thousands of travellers \u2014 including many Swiss nationals \u2014 are now stranded across the region.\n<\/p>\n
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March 2, 2026 – 09:27\n<\/p>\n
According to the Swiss foreign ministry, at least 1,400 Swiss citizens are currently travelling in the affected countries. The Touring Club Switzerland (TCS) estimates that nearly 1,500 Swiss nationals are stranded abroad, mainly due to cancelled flights.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, we\u2019re extremely anxious because we\u2019ve never experienced anything like this,\u201d says a Swiss holidaymaker in Abu Dhabi, speaking after explosions were heard on Saturday near her hotel. \u201cWe\u2019ve gone from holiday to constant stress. We don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen, we don\u2019t know what to do\u2026 nobody knows,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Yasmine Yagchi is also stuck in Abu Dhabi. Just as she was about to board her flight, she received an alert urging her to seek shelter. She describes the difficulty of retrieving her luggage and the renewed fear when the same message arrived again in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n
B\u00e9n\u00e9dict Sapin from Fribourg, who lives in Dubai, is trying to remain calm, even though his family is visiting and the airport \u2014 the busiest in the world \u2014 was targeted by a missile. \u201cHaving missiles exploding above your head is always impressive,\u201d he says. However, \u201cwe don\u2019t feel particularly in danger,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n
More than 1,500 flights to the Middle East were cancelled on Sunday \u2014 about 40% of scheduled traffic \u2014 according to aviation consultancy Cirium.<\/p>\n
SWISS suspends flights to Dubai and Tel Aviv<\/p>\n
The most affected airlines are Emirates (Dubai), Qatar Airways (Doha) and Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi). At Geneva Airport, these carriers usually operate two daily flights each to the region. Since Saturday morning, however, none has served the affected destinations.<\/p>\n
Several other airlines have also suspended their flights for the coming days. Swiss International Air Line (SWISS) has extended the interruption of its services to Dubai and Tel Aviv: flights to Dubai are cancelled until Wednesday March 4 inclusive, and those to Tel Aviv until Sunday March 8 inclusive.<\/p>\n
>>When evacuating Swiss nationals, the government often depends on foreign support:<\/p>\n
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