Anger at €800 Cost for Seat on Government’s Charter Flight Home from Middle East - 02/03/2026

A Government charge of €800 for a seat on a charter flight from the Middle East has been described as “a shakedown, not an evacuation”.The Government said it is bearing a “portion of the cost” for the Oman evacuation charter flight, but failed to answer questions about the scale of the contribution.The press release from Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee announcing the evacuation flight on Friday from Muscat, the capital of Oman, said it would benefit “vulnerable citizens”.But after details of the €800 cost for adult passengers emerged, Senator Patricia Stephenson said: “This is a shakedown, not an evacuation.”The Foreign Affairs spokeswoman for the Social Democrats added: “Desperate people, stuck in a war zone, should not be asked for €800 by their own government so they can get home to safety.Senator Stephenson joined us on The Agenda this morning to talk to us some more about this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.