In an update to the ongoing crisis stranding over 4,000 Swedes in the Middle East due to closed airspace, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson revealed SMS contact with his close friend, artist Martin “E-type” Erikson, stuck in Dubai. No evacuation plans exist, but some flights have resumed.
Following the escalation that paralyzed regional air traffic—as covered earlier with Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard's calls for crisis registration—Kristersson confirmed receiving an SMS from Erikson on the day the war intensified. “He described that he was safe and uncertain about what would happen,” the PM said, noting further contact without details. Erikson, a friend of Kristersson and his wife Birgitta Ed (who attended his wedding), remains in Dubai.
The government maintains no evacuation plans amid closed airspace, evaluating the situation hourly. Special cases like the seriously ill may get land-route aid. Kristersson urged contact with Swedish embassies and acknowledged traveler frustrations, distinguishing those ignoring advisories.
While some UAE flights departed Monday-Tuesday, consular chief Svante Liljegren cautions against assuming normalcy, advising 'shelter in place' over overland travel. This aligns with prior UD guidance amid the serious regional situation signaled by US advisories.
