Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand said Friday a chartered flight is set to take 180 Canadians fleeing the Middle East war zone from Dubai to Istanbul on Saturday.
Anand said the flight will operate on a cost-recovery basis.
The government has also block-booked about 50 seats each on a few Air Arabia flights for Canadians travelling from Dubai to Istanbul.
The minister said the government also booked 51 seats for Canadians on an Emirates flight leaving Dubai for Toronto on Saturday, and 200 seats on four separate flights from Beirut to Istanbul in the coming days.
The minister added that roughly 325 seats on commercial flights had been secured already for Canadians by diplomatic staff in Beirut.
"We are aware that Canadians have been making their own arrangements, with some choosing ground transportation. I want to reiterate that any ground transportation carries risk," Anand said.
Anand also said evacuation by sea is "especially dangerous" right now. She said her team is working on getting "all options" on the table to help Canadians who need assistance leaving the region.
Anand said that the ministry is working to ensure Canadians looking to return home with an expired passport will be able to get an emergency travel document. She said anyone in need of an emergency document should contact local Canadian consular officials.
Anand also confirmed during Friday's virtual news conference that Canada has four chartered buses with a total of 180 seats that will leave Qatar for Saudi Arabia beginning Saturday.
Anand said more than 108,000 Canadians in Iran have registered with Global Affairs Canada, and about 3,500 of them have asked for help to get out of the region.
Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
