War in the Middle East: paradise holidays turn into anxiety, 300 French people stranded in the Maldives

The Israeli-American offensive and the Iranian response on the Gulf countries have completely frozen air traffic in certain major airports in the region. In Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi, no plane was able to take to the air for several days. France began to repatriate French people stranded in this area, considered dangerous, but a few thousand kilometers away, others were stranded in a destination which was otherwise less so: the Maldives.

A repatriation flight of 300 French people

Indeed, these major disruptions to air transport led to the cancellation of the flights of several hundred French travelers, stranded in the Maldives and unable to reach Europe, since the start of the war on February 28.

“ We are in a hotel at the airport waiting for a flight that doesn’t arrive… It’s been anxiety since Saturday, no news, we’re just being told to wait…,” testified a French traveler on social networks, Tuesday March 3. There are certainly worse destinations to find yourself forced to extend your vacation, but the worry was present among many travelers.

This Friday, March 6, the SETO (Syndicat des Entreprises du Tour Operating) finally chartered a special flight to ensure the repatriation of around 300 tourists to Francenotably thanks to several players in the travel sector – Exotismes, Nautil, Club Med and Kuoni.

The charter flight, organized and financed by tour operators and operated by Air Austral, was to take off from Malé, in the Maldives, to land at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle shortly before 3 p.m., indicates a press release sent to actu.fr.

Indeed, for Europeans, the only way to travel to and from the Maldives is via Gulf airlines. In total, several thousand travelers found themselves stranded there, according to Le Figaro.

On social networks, many European tourists have mentioned being also stranded in this popular destination, while posting videos of heavenly beaches.

Most of them should be taken care of quickly. However, their case remains in the minority. According to the Quai d’Orsay, 5,000 French people came forward to be repatriated from the Middle East, where missiles continued to rain this week.

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