Roughly 1,000 Bulgarian tourists are currently unable to leave the Persian Gulf region after a wave of flight cancellations by Wizz Air and Flydubai. In addition, around 100 Bulgarians in Jordan are also stranded due to suspended Ryanair services. The figures were provided to BTA by Svetlana Vatashka of the Future for Tourism Association, which represents tour operators.

Travelers affected by the canceled departures earlier today have been placed in hotels at the airlines’ expense and are receiving assistance. According to the association, the situation on the ground remains calm, with no signs of unrest among passengers.

Tour operators are compiling and forwarding data to the Ministry of Tourism regarding the number of Bulgarian citizens currently in the Middle East through organized travel. The sector is awaiting guidance from both the Tourism Ministry and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the next steps and the arrangements that will be made for those impacted.

Vatashka expressed the expectation that the caretaker government will organize the return of Bulgarian nationals from the affected areas in the Gulf. She also noted that Dubai International Airport functions as a major global transit hub, with numerous connecting routes operated by carriers such as Qatar Airways, including long-haul destinations like the Maldives, which further complicates travel logistics.

Earlier, caretaker Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynski stated that approximately 11,400 Bulgarian citizens, along with hundreds of tourists, are currently in the broader Middle East region. She confirmed that Bulgaria is maintaining communication with allied partners, embassies, and diplomatic missions. Evacuation plans had been reviewed and updated before the outbreak of hostilities, and authorities have detailed information on the presence of Bulgarian nationals in the area.

The disruption follows widespread airline suspensions to and from several Middle Eastern destinations after a sharp escalation in tensions between Israel, the United States and Iran. Airspace has been fully closed over Israel, Iran, Qatar, Iraq, Kuwait and Bahrain, while Syria and the United Arab Emirates introduced partial restrictions.

US President Donald Trump confirmed that American and Israeli forces had conducted coordinated strikes against Iran. Tehran responded with missile attacks targeting the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, as well as sites in Qatar, Kuwait, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, further intensifying the regional crisis and prompting additional flight cancellations.