New Zealand’s government announced Wednesday it is positioning two military C-130J Hercules transport aircraft in the Middle East as a precautionary step to potentially rescue New Zealand citizens from the volatile region.
Thousands of travelers from around the world, including New Zealanders, have found themselves trapped throughout the Middle East as growing tensions between the United States, Israel, and Iran have caused widespread flight cancellations and forced major airports to shut down, including Dubai’s international airport, which handles more passenger traffic than any other worldwide.
According to government records, approximately 3,000 New Zealand citizens are currently registered as residents in Middle Eastern countries.
“The events in the Middle East are fast-moving, dangerous and complex — and our primary focus is on assisting New Zealanders in the region to the extent possible in this very challenging security environment,” Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
Peters explained that deploying the aircraft along with diplomatic personnel ensures “they can be ready when conditions allow to assist with any civilian evacuation operations.”
With restricted airspace and the suspension of most commercial airline service, Peters noted that officials continue advising New Zealand citizens to remain in secure locations or to pursue any available safe routes out of the region when possible.
The government has not yet finalized where exactly the diplomatic team and the two Hercules aircraft will be stationed, according to the official announcement.
