Why the AUA flew to Oman on Sunday with an empty plane

However, on Sunday morning an AUA plane took off Vienna-Schwechat towards Muscat/Oman away. Since AUA doesn’t actually fly to the destination directly, the flight caused a lot of guesswork at the airport. Maybe an evacuation flight?

AUA spokeswoman Barbara Greul confirmed the flight to Muscat. The Airbus A320 neo took off without passengers because it was an internal evacuation of Lufthansa Group staff employed in the region. “We are flying out employees stationed there,” said Greul to the KURIER.

Muscat Airport was not closed and the plane was expected to return to Vienna-Schwechat during the night. The respective airlines will continue to fly to Oman as normal until further notice.

Dubai airport closed

The situation is different in Dubai, where all flights at DXB international airport and Al Maktoum Airport (DWC) were suspended on Sunday until further notice and many holidaymakers were unable to leave.

Cruise ships also affected

In addition to air traffic, shipping traffic in the Gulf region also came to a standstill. The cruise ship “MSC Euribia” with more than 6,000 passengers was reportedly docked in Dubai and a planned Orient cruise was canceled.

The cruise ships “Mein Schiff 4” and “Mein Schiff 5” have been booked by the German provider TUI Cruises. “The safety of our guests and crew is our top priority at all times,” it said on the provider’s website. It is currently not possible to carry out the trips as planned.