Two repatriation flights chartered directly by the European Commission have landed in Romania, bringing 356 European citizens who were stranded in the Middle East back from Oman.
The flights were operated after Romanian authorities requested help, with the Commission mobilising its own rescEU transport and logistics capacities for the first time, the Commission announced on Monday.
RescEU is part of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, a framework used to coordinate assistance when countries ask for support in emergencies.
The flights were deployed through the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre, which can activate rescEU when EU member states and other participating countries cannot provide transport after a request for assistance.
The EU has also supported 42 other flights so far, bringing more than 4,100 European citizens back to 14 countries including Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Sweden.
More flights planned after 23 countries request assistance
More flights are planned in the coming days after 23 countries requested EU assistance, including France, Ireland, Poland, Finland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.
The Commission said it is working with the European External Action Service — the EU’s diplomatic service — and EU delegations in the region, and remains in contact with national consular authorities.
Passenger planes were added as a rescEU capacity in September 2025, and the Romania operation is the first activation of that capacity for consular support since then.
Under rescEU, the Commission can cover up to 100% of the transport costs for such flights, compared with up to 75% under other EU repatriation support arrangements.
