Germany's first evacuation flight from Middle East lands in Frankfurt

Germany's first government evacuation flight from the Middle East crisis region landed at Frankfurt airport on Thursday morning, dpa reporters on site confirmed.

The Lufthansa aircraft, an Airbus A340-300, had departed from Muscat.

Passengers on board flight LH345 were selected by the German government. They had been stranded in the Gulf region following the US attack on Iran and had to be transported overland to the Omani capital.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said particularly vulnerable groups were to be prioritized, including pregnant women, the sick and children.

The exact number of passengers returning to Germany was initially unclear. In Lufthansa's configuration, the aircraft has 279 passenger seats, though crew from the outbound flight and additional personnel also have to be accommodated.

The usual flight time between Muscat and Frankfurt is between seven and eight hours. According to tracking service Flightradar24, the flight took about eight houts and 14 minutes.

It is not the first flight to reach Germany since the start of the war last weekend. Since Tuesday, airlines from the United Arab Emirates in particular have offered individual flights out of the region.