Overview
- The EU says 18 member states have activated the civil‑protection procedure, and by Thursday evening ten evacuations had carried more than 1,000 people to EU destinations including Bulgaria, Italy, Austria and Slovakia.
- Germany has begun government‑chartered returns, with the first arrivals from Oman in Frankfurt and a planned flight from Riyadh this weekend.
- Berlin will bill evacuees on its chartered planes a flat €500 per person under consular law, with the state covering the remainder.
- The Commission cautions its subsidy may not cover individual passenger costs, so national cost‑sharing practices are set to remain in place.
- Consumer advocates cite an ECJ precedent indicating travellers are unlikely to reclaim state‑evacuation fees from airlines or tour operators, while limited commercial returns continue via Condor, Eurowings and tour operator Dertour.