Travel companies are facing continued problems in bringing home stranded Swedish tourists in the Middle East. Apollo, a travel firm, reportedly does not expect to repatriate its 140 Swedish travelers in the United Arab Emirates this week, according to sources. Four of Apollo's Swedish travelers who were stuck in Oman are set to land at Arlanda Airport today.
Oman has largely been able to keep its airspace open, but the travelers would have flown via Doha in Qatar, where the airspace remains closed. Apollo has not managed to secure any seats for the near future for the 140 travelers remaining in the United Arab Emirates. Martina Krantz at Apollo described the challenges as very significant, citing few flights being conducted and seats disappearing quickly when they become available.
Martina Krantz at Apollo described the challenges as very significant, citing few flights being conducted and seats disappearing quickly when they become available.
The company is reportedly constantly seeking improvements from airlines to arrange earlier returns, but the time pressure makes it difficult to establish a prioritization order, though they consider factors such as length of stay and special cases like illness or small children.