About 9,000 US citizens choose to remain in UAE despite evacuation offer
Low demand leaves US evacuation flights from UAE with empty seats
Dubai: Around 9,000 American citizens living in the United Arab Emirates have chosen to remain in the country despite offers from the US government to arrange charter evacuation flights, the US State Department has said.
In a statement issued by Dylan Johnson, Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, the department said it had contacted thousands of Americans in the UAE to offer seats on government-organised evacuation flights. However, several flights departed with empty seats due to limited demand.
According to the statement, many US citizens who initially requested assistance ultimately decided not to use the evacuation options, instead choosing to stay in their countries of residence or travel using available commercial flights.
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The official noted that the availability of commercial air travel across the region has gradually improved, prompting the State Department to scale back the charter flight operations and ground transport services it had launched following the outbreak of the regional crisis.
Since 28 February, more than 43,000 American citizens have returned to the United States from the Middle East through a combination of government-chartered and commercial flights, the department said.
It added that its round-the-clock emergency response teams have provided direct assistance to more than 30,000 Americans abroad, including security guidance and help with travel arrangements.
The State Department said the decline in demand for evacuation services, together with the success of earlier operations, means this would be the final daily update on the evacuation effort, although further updates would be issued if necessary.
