Amid the airspace closures and flight cancellations in the Middle East, the U.S. State Department since Feb. 28 has evacuated more than 17,500 U.S. citizens from the region, the agency announced Wednesday.
The State Department this week urged U.S. citizens in a dozen countries in the Middle East to evacuate immediately amid the armed conflict between the U.S. and Israel and Iran.
More than 8,500 citizens returned to the U.S. on Tuesday, while "many more Americans have left the Middle East to other countries in Europe and Asia, and others have safely departed the Middle East but are still in transit back to the United States," State Department assistant secretary Dylan Johnson said in a statement.
Those who still require assistance have been instructed to register with the State Department at step.state.gov. "The State Department will identify where you are, and provide travel options to you," President Donald Trump posted on X Tuesday. Johnson reposted the information and in the Wednesday statement added that Americans in the Middle East who need assistance also can call the State Department anytime at (202) 501-4444.
The government also has "identified and continued to identify charter flights, military flight options, and expanded commercial flight options, meaning working with the airlines to send bigger airplanes with more seats, and a combination of those three things," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during a Tuesday press conference.
For those needing to depart the region, "it is important for you to, please, put both the website and the phone numbers on your screens, because we need to know where you are," Rubio added.
In its March 3 graphic security update for Americans in the Middle East, the State Department issued a Level 4 warning, indicating not to travel, for Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, as well as Gaza. A Level 3 warning, pressing to reconsider travel, applies to Bahrain, Israel, the West Bank, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. A Level 2 warning, urging travelers to exercise increased caution, applies to Egypt.
Some U.S. embassies in the region have been under attack by drones launched by Iran in response to the U.S. and Israeli military offensive launched Feb. 28, according to the Wall Street Journal, including embassies in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
BCD's global crisis management team "is monitoring the situation 24/7, we've activated enhanced response protocols, and we're working closely with our global partners to assess potential impacts to air travel, lodging, routing and regional operations," BCD said in a statement.
BCD said it had increased staffing among operations teams to manage client inquiries. "We're using our travel risk and communication technology together with our operational strength to help customers navigate this challenging time," according to the company.
After hostilities broke out Saturday, American Express Global Business Travel invoked its Incident Management Response program, SVP and chief risk and compliance officer Michael Savicki told BTN by email.
"Our global teams mobilized throughout the weekend and leveraged our traveler data reporting to coordinate across regions, work directly with airlines and local partners, and support customers with travelers in the region," Savicki said, adding traveler care teams are working to "prioritize impacted travelers and support near-term departures."
The travel management company is working with affected clients to "remove friction where travel and expense policies or visa/entry restrictions might slow safe return, and keep our clients continually updated as conditions and government guidance evolves," he said.
At least one private aviation company has acknowledged it is arranging emergency charters from the region: Chapman Freeborn. In a statement, the company said it has worked with "government ministries and authorities across multiple countries to deliver critical air support."
Those operations include "emergency passenger and cargo charter flights, including evacuation missions; time-critical cargo movements through bespoke charter solutions; strategic routing and operational coordination across disrupted air corridors; and rapid-deployment charter options to maintain global continuity for our clients."
Chapman Freeborn's global headquarters are in the United Kingdom, with North American headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and regional offices throughout the world.