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Hungarian swimmers stranded at Oman airport after airspace closure
Several members of Hungary’s national swimming team have become stranded at an airport in Oman after the country abruptly closed its airspace due to the escalating Israel/US–Iran conflict, Hungarian sports officials have confirmed.
According to a report by Nemzeti Sport, part of the squad was preparing to fly home on Saturday following a two-week training camp when departures were suddenly suspended.
The president of the Hungarian Swimming Federation, Sándor Wladár, said the swimmers had been due to depart at 1:10 PM local time. Although their plane arrived with a slight delay, the situation changed rapidly.
“At 1:30 PM, we were informed that Oman’s airspace had been closed and all outbound flights were cancelled,” he said. “There are thousands of people at the airport. No one can enter or leave, and the information desks have shut down. We are a bit at a loss at the moment.”
“If our flight had left just an hour earlier…”
On Saturday evening, the group was waiting inside the airport for further updates from the airline, while Hungarian diplomatic staff and their travel organiser were working to find a solution.
Four swimmers and staff members are stuck at the airport for now. The majority of the national team, however, remains at the training camp and will continue preparations in Oman for another six days as originally planned.
Wladár noted that the team had experienced no signs of regional tension before the sudden closure. “If our flight had left just an hour earlier, we would already be on our way home,” he said.
Regardless, Oman is a great training location
Despite the disruption, he praised Oman as an excellent training location. The team’s hotel is only a short walk from the pool, the weather is favourable, and conditions have allowed for intensive preparation. Around 14 team members are still training without interruption.
Officials are now considering alternative routes home that avoid conflict zones once flights resume. The airspace shutdown follows growing military tensions in the Middle East, which have already begun affecting international travel across the region.
Read our articles in connection with the Middle East conflict: