Two flights carrying around 200 people are currently on their way to Luxembourg, the government confirmed in a statement on Thursday. Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel also confirmed the repatriation effort to reporters shortly before departing for a visit to Madrid.
One of the flights is operated by Luxair, while the other has been chartered by the government and is operated by an Egyptian airline.
Authorities are also working on organising a second Luxair flight, while military aircraft may also be used for further evacuations.
The first flight, carrying 104 passengers, departed from Oman at around 6.30pm on Wednesday and made a stopover in Egypt. Passengers were accommodated in hotels overnight before continuing their journey to Luxembourg Airport (Findel).
A second flight, which was chartered with 97 passengers on board departed directly from Oman and is expected to land in Luxembourg at around 1.30pm. Authorities are also holding discussions, notably with Belgium, about organising further repatriation flights. A plane from the MRTT fleet is currently stationed in Hurghada and is expected to fly to Muscat, while Luxair has another special flight in Hurghada that will also travel to Oman during the day.
Officials said plans for further evacuations depend largely on the evolving security situation in the region.
Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel described the situation on the ground as chaotic, particularly at the border with Oman. According to Bettel, some people are being asked to pay additional fees in order to enter the country. He lamented that individuals were attempting to profit from the situation. He also reported difficult conditions at Muscat airport. Bettel added that it remains unclear when Dubai International Airport will be able to reopen. For this reason, authorities opted for the current evacuation arrangements in order to bring people back to Luxembourg as quickly as possible.
