Irish Family Stranded in UAE Criticizes Lack of Consular Support

An Irish family currently stranded in the United Arab Emirates has expressed frustration over what they describe as inadequate and unhelpful responses from their embassy. Aaron Bannon Whelan, along with his wife, who is 17 weeks pregnant, and extended family members, feels abandoned in a challenging situation, urging others not to “believe everything you see on the internet” regarding available assistance.

Mr. Bannon Whelan has characterized the consular responses received thus far as “kind of copy and paste.” His family faces a particularly difficult situation, as they were advised to undertake a lengthy bus journey to Oman to access a chartered flight back to Ireland. He called the suggestion “absolutely mental,” emphasizing that it is unreasonable to expect a pregnant woman and her 91-year-old grandfather to undertake such a trip without any guarantee of a flight.

“We’ve sent multiple emails, and my mother at home has called every available embassy and helpline,” Mr. Bannon Whelan stated. “We’re not really getting any responses back from anybody, just a few generic ones here and there.” He expressed concern that the lack of proper communication has left them feeling stranded and uninformed.

The suggestion to travel to Oman has raised significant concerns for the family. “To put a 17-week pregnant woman and a 91-year-old on a bus for seven and a half hours to Oman, with no certainty of getting a flight, is outrageous,” he asserted. “There are queues at the airport, and how many other thousands of people from different countries are being told the same thing?”

Mr. Bannon Whelan noted that while they were aware of the chartered flight announcement from Oman, specific information was lacking. “It’s absolutely mental. I don’t know what decision was made to do that,” he added, clarifying that they have no intention of traveling to Oman under the current circumstances.

The communication from the Irish embassy has been described as “more than lacklustre.” Mr. Bannon Whelan explained that after filling out necessary forms to document their presence in the UAE, he received only a confirmation of his date of birth in response. Despite understanding that embassy staff might be overwhelmed, he expressed disappointment at the lack of timely support.

On Monday, when the embassy was supposed to reopen, the family received word that it was closed, along with a helpline number that is inaccessible from their location. “We can’t ring this helpline because Irish numbers can’t call while we’re in the UAE,” he said.

Despite the challenges, Mr. Bannon Whelan remains “quietly confident” about securing a flight later in the week. He continues to advocate for improved communication from the embassy, expressing hope that their situation will soon be resolved.