Govt slammed for leaving thousands in Dubai

The government is being criticised for leaving more than 5,000 Swiss nationals stranded in the middle east - while other countries are successfully managing to get their own nationals back to their home countries.

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Affairs Department says it’s in contact with Swiss International Airlines to arrange flights out of the region.

The airline says the safety of their crews and passengers is the highest concern - so it says flights remain suspended. But other commercial airlines have been operating out of Dubai.

Some politicians are complaining that Switzerland doesn’t have military transport aircraft to use - but the government says other countries are using private airlines.

The local airline, Emirates, started two days ago has operated flights to various countries in Europe - but as yet, not Switzerland. 

Meanwhile, travel operators are saying those who booked holidays in the region over Easter are cancelling - choosing to switch their vacations to the Canary Islands or the Caribbean.

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