Stranded in a crisis zone – who is responsible for repatriation?

Arrivals at Zurich Airport after a special SWISS flight from Muscat, Oman. The flight brought stranded passengers from the Gulf region back to Switzerland. Keystone / Michael Buholzer

The military confrontation between Iran and a US–Israel-led alliance has entered its third week and impacted ten countries. Over 1,200 registered Swiss citizens remain in the Middle East region, yet no further repatriation flights are planned. Bern stresses personal responsibility, but criticism is mounting. Is it justified?

The Gulf region – along with Israel – has borne the brunt of Iranian missile and drone attacks as the conflict widens. Airspace has been repeatedly closed around major hubs, including Doha in Qatar and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Last Wednesday, Bahrain’s airport was rocked by explosions. Iran’s targeting of Gulf states reflects a strategic effort to impose economic costs on the United States and its regional allies.

Swiss citizens in the Middle East have been able to leave, but often only with difficulty, luck and at considerable cost. After Switzerland organised one special flight and Edelweiss Air, a Swiss leisure airline, operated two from Oman, no further repatriation flights are currently planned.

The number of stranded Swiss in the Middle East, including Israel, has dropped from an initial 5,200 to around 1,230. These figures are based on the government’s Travel Admin app and only cover people who registered their stay in the region. According to the Swiss foreign ministry, those who have already left but have not manually ended their trip in the app, are still included in the count.

The Gulf has long been an attractive destination for Swiss citizens, drawn by business opportunities in finance, construction and energy, as well as high salaries and tax advantages. The region is also a major tourism destination, known for its luxury resorts, winter sun and role as a global aviation hub, with cities such as Doha and Dubai serving as key transit points. 

Swiss foreign ministry temporarily closes its embassy in Iran

In view of the war in the Middle East and the increasing security risk, the foreign ministry has decided to temporarily close the Swiss embassy in Tehran. The ambassador and five Swiss staff members left Iran by land today. They will return to Tehran as soon as the situation allows. As part of its good offices, Switzerland will continue to maintain an open line of communication between the United States and Iran, in consultation with the two countries.

Return journeys from parts of Asia have also become more complicated as airlines can no longer use the usual stopovers in the Gulf. Dubai and Doha are among the main transit hubs between Europe and Asia. Swiss travellers stranded in Asia talk about soaring flight prices with one-way tickets to Europe costing more than CHF5,000 ($6,350), according to the German-language daily newspaper BlickExternal link. The foreign ministry does not provide figures on how many Swiss travellers worldwide are affected by the conflict in the Middle East.

On top of that, Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) has extended its flight suspension to Dubai from March 15 to March 28 due to capacity problems at the city’s airports. Other airlines of the Lufthansa Group are also affected.

Bern’s stance earns criticism

Since the beginning of the crisis, critics have accused the Swiss government of not providing as much support as other countries. Authorities’ communication is seen as insufficient, and many affected Swiss feel abandoned by their government.

Stranded travellers are voicing their frustrations in media reports and on social media. “It’s the government’s responsibility to repatriate its citizens. This is why we pay taxes,“ one Swiss woman told journalists. Others criticise that Swiss missions only referred them to the airlines while other embassies communicated evacuation plans.

Some also complained about difficulties reaching Swiss diplomatic missions.

At the same time, the foreign ministry’s figures show that its helpline has been extremely busy since the start of the crisis. Since February 28, approximately 1,700 inquiries both from travellers as well as Swiss citizens living in the region have been personally dealt with.

The foreign ministry expressed understanding for the difficult situation Swiss citizens in the region are facing. However, it sticks to its stance and reiterates the principle of personal responsibility. “Anyone staying abroad is responsible for themselves,“ Marianne Jenni, head of the foreign ministry’s consular directorate told Swiss public broadcaster RTS.

>>Marianne Jenni defends the Swiss authorities’ firm stance over repatriation flights.

When did Switzerland adopt the principal of personal responsibility?

The legal basis is the Swiss Abroad Act which came into force in 2015. The foreign ministry emphasises that the law establishes key basic principles of Swiss consular policy, including personal responsibility and the notion that state assistance should only be granted on a subsidiary basis, when all other options have been exhausted.

The law therefore places strong emphasis on individual responsibility. Anyone travelling abroad is expected to assess risks and solve problems themselves. State assistance is intended as emergency support, not as insurance.

Travel Admin-App

In crisis situations, the foreign ministry also relies on its Travel Admin app where travellers can register their stay abroad. Since the start of the current crisis in the Middle East, around 16,000 new user accounts have been opened bringing the total number of registered users to approximately 140,000.

Is the principle still fit for our time?

Carlo Sommaruga, a Social Democratic senator from Geneva, wants to spark a new debate on this issue. He aims to assess whether the Swiss Abroad Act is still fit for today’s realities. In the spring session, he submitted a corresponding motion to the senate. The timing was coincidental: on the very day, Sommaruga raised the issue of personal responsibility in parliament, the foreign ministry in Bern explained why it continues to uphold the principle, despite the war.

Carlo Sommaruga, a Social Democratic senator from Geneva. Keystone / Peter Schneider

Sommaruga is aware of the challenges. “There is currently no political majority in parliament to change this system.” Indeed, when approached on this issue, other parliamentarians across the political spectrum stress travellers’ personal responsibility.

He is also aware of the practical limits of state assistance. “Switzerland does not have the means to provide a public service abroad which is free of cost and can offer immediate assistance everywhere,” he explains.

Yet the Swiss senator advocates for targeted adjustments of the system. In emergency cases such as serious health problems or severe financial difficulties, the government could provide more support abroad, similar to social benefits. As a member of the executive board of the Organisation of the Swiss Abroad (OSA), Sommaruga is mindful of the sometimes-precarious situations of Swiss expatriates. He also thinks that in global crises such as pandemics, when private transport grinds to a complete halt, the government should play a more active role.

In such situations, closer cooperation with other countries could also be an option. Sommaruga points to neighbouring European countries such as Italy, France and Germany with which joint evacuations could be organised.

He also acknowledges that the travellers themselves bear a lot of responsibility. The regional impact of an escalation between Israel and Iran was foreseeable, he says, and anyone travelling there as a tourist must be aware of the risks. At the same time, he adds the authorities could improve their communication.

>>Many Swiss nationals have been caught up in the chaos caused by the conflict in the Middle East.

Boundaries of personal responsibility

During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 to 2021, tens of thousands of Swiss citizens were repatriated from all over the world which became one of the largest repatriation missions in Swiss history.  In the face of the current crisis in the Middle East, Switzerland has decided not to take similar action.

The debate has now spilled over from parliament to the wider public. The generous assistance provided by the government during the pandemic may have raised expectations that even a wealthy country like Switzerland can hardly meet in the long run.

Edited by Balz Rigendinger/Adapted from German by Billi Bierling/ds