Hundreds of Andalusians trapped across globe due to closure of Persian Gulf air space

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While those in Israel had been evacuated by Tuesday, the lack of flights meant some 350 in other places were unable to get out, the Junta said

P. Martínez / I. Lillo

MALAGA.

Friday, 6 March 2026, 12:27

At least 350 people from Andalucía were still stranded in the middle of this week due to the closure of airspace in the Persian Gulf. The estimate came from the Junta de Andalucía regional government. Of those, the largest group was believed to be from Malaga province; around 100 according to estimates by SUR, although this figure could not be officially confirmed.

The regional minister for tourism, Arturo Bernal, explained how the authorities were dealing with the crisis.

"Our first priority was obviously the Andalusians who were in a clear conflict zone, which was Israel," he said. Several groups were in Israel and had already been evacuated. Their flights were cancelled and they had to travel by bus to nearby destinations in Egypt and Jordan. From there they flew via Istanbul to Europe.

"They are already arriving. The last group left early yesterday morning [Tuesday] at 7am and they are now boarding for Madrid, after which they will travel on to Malaga. Therefore we can confirm that there are no longer any groups of Andalusians in Israel, which gives us enormous reassurance," the minister added.

Middle East holidays

The second group consisted of people who had travelled to the Gulf region or elsewhere in the Middle East for holidays. "These are the people we are dealing with now. They have no way of leaving because the airspace is blocked, but they are not in imminent danger and their lives are not at risk. The bombings they can hear are taking place in specific locations outside the cities," Bernal explained.

The regional government had identified and mapped more than 300 Andalusians in this situation, meaning officials knew where they were and how many there were at any given moment.

In Abu Dhabi there were around 100 Andalusians spread across various hotels and residences on Wednesday. Another 100 were in Doha in Qatar, while a group of around 95 were in Dubai.

Long-haul destinations

A third group was made up of people in long-haul destinations in Asia and the Pacific. They face no security concerns, but their flights cannot depart because of the airspace closure. Andalusians are currently located in Nairobi, Sri Lanka, Manila and Bangkok. In this category there are between 48 and 50 identified travellers.

"They are fully informed about the situation in each location. We are providing them with updated information on what they should do, as well as safety advice. If they have any medical or urgent needs they can inform us directly or through the consulates," Bernal said.

The first flights organised by the Spanish ministry of foreign affairs or ministry of defence were set to prioritise those identified travellers.

"If we detect any danger in a particular location, we are facilitating departures, as happened with the assistance of the government of Israel," Bernal added.