TUI Cruises completes evacuation of Doha passengers as TWO ships remain stranded in Gulf

TUI Cruises has successfully completed the repatriation of approximately 2,500 guests from the Mein Schiff 5 in Doha, Qatar,

The evacuation followed a two-week period where passengers were stranded in the Persian Gulf due to regional conflict and the subsequent closure of Middle Eastern airspace on February 28.

Because of limited flight capacity and closed airspace in Qatar, TUI Cruises coordinated a complex multi-modal operation. Many passengers were transported by bus through the desert from Doha to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Special charter flights were organized from Riyadh to German cities, including Munich, Frankfurt, and Cologne.

Some direct departures from Doha were secured via Qatar Airways as airport conditions allowed. The last group of approximately 180 passengers from Mein Schiff 5 has departed for Germany.

While passengers have been evacuated, several upcoming sailings for Mein Schiff 5 (originally scheduled through March 12) were cancelled due to the ongoing regional instability.

TUI’s sister ship, Mein Schiff 4, which was stranded in Abu Dhabi, completed its guest evacuations earlier in the month primarily through flights from Dubai and Muscat.