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ALL Maltese people in the United Arab Emirates who requested to be evacuated fol- lowing the outbreak of war in Iran landed safely in Malta on Saturday morning. Foreign Minister Ian Borg said that 187 Maltese on board the chartered aircraft were based in the UAE. The flight was organised by the Maltese government, which announced earlier this week it would be shouldering the cost of the flight. As the Airbus A330 landed in Malta, relatives were relieved to see their loved ones disem- bark safe and sound. The evacuation was made necessary after the UAE and other Gulf states were targeted by Iranian missiles and drones in retaliation for US and Israel bombing Iran. As a result, the airspace over the Gulf region was closed down and thou- sands of flights were cancelled. Over the past week, diplomat- ic staff on the ground from the Maltese embassy in the UAE and officials from the Foreign Ministry worked hard to make the necessary arrangements to evacuate Maltese who want- ed to leave. Everything was put in place so that on a mo- ment's notice, when a flight slot opened up, the evacuees would be transported back to Malta. In a Facebook post, Malta's Ambassador to the UAE Maria Camilleri Calleja said: "All Mal- tese nationals who contacted the Embassy of Malta in UAE and the Consulate General of Malta in Dubai on the emer- gency lines circulated on email and social media and expressed the wish and willingness to de- part the UAE, arrived safely in Malta on special repatriation/ evacuation flight from the UAE." She thanked the UAE leader- ship and Maktoum airport staff for the assistance to make the flight possible. "Thanks also to the EU Delegation in the UAE and EU ambassadors and col- leagues who worked closely in the exchange of information in the spirit of EU solidarity," Camilleri Calleja said. She added that the Maltese embassy in the UAE remain "available and present" in the UAE to continue to provide ad- ditional assistance. IRAN WAR SUNDAY • 8 MARCH 2026 | maltatoday CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 The war has already created jitters in the world economy. Caruana acknowledged that Malta will not be immune to the impact but insisted the gov- ernment will step in to dampen the effect. On energy and fuel, Caruana said the country has the necessary hedging agree- ments in place and will not be greatly affected by the conflict. He clarified that while the coun- try's diesel supply isn't covered by hedging agreements, fluctu- ations will not have a dramatic impact on Malta's finances. Caruana believes the Iran war is unlike the war in Ukraine, since there are sufficient re- sources in the region to ensure the conflict doesn't drag on. "We have the necessary buff- ers to absorb the impacts of this conflict," Caruana reassured, adding that if it does drag on, he will prioritise keeping ener- gy subsidies intact. "In a worst- case scenario, I still believe g o v e r n m e n t should weather the impact of for- eign developments," he stressed. Caruana refuted the notion of more targeted subsi- dies, claiming that should gov- ernments do so, it would dent confidence in the economy. "Previous experiences show that when conflict erupts, the first solution isn't to slash gov- ernment aid, but figuring out how to keep it going," he said. The finance minister was con- fident that not only can Malta weather the international storm, but it can be done while still re- ducing the deficit. When asked whether the con- flict throws a wrench in Malta's Vision 2050 targets, Caruana replied: "If you realise that there is a problem in your home's wa- ter pipes, you wouldn't focus on getting new curtains, but ensur- ing your house doesn't flood." Stability is utmost priority Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Energy Ministry ech- oed Caruana's sentiment when asked about possible price fluc- tuations affecting the energy sector. The spokesperson said the ministry's goal remains, "to provide stability and safeguard families and the economy from international price shocks". Subsidies are ensuring Mal- ta's energy and fuel prices re- main static for consumers, irrespective of market fluctua- tions. "In tangible terms for Mal- tese consumers, the price of unleaded petrol is of €1.34 per litre, compared to Italy's €1.67 per litre and Spain's €1.49. In the case of diesel prices, Mal- tese consumers pay €1.21 per litre, whilst Italian and Span- ish consumers pay €1.72 and €1.44 per litre, respectively," the spokesperson noted. She stressed that in the wake of the Iran war, Malta is not op- erating under business-as-usu- al conditions. Strait of Hormuz strikes not affecting LNG supply Last week, Electrogas, which operates the LNG facility and gas power station at Delimara, told MaltaToday that its supply arrangements are structured to ensure "stability and continuity of supply". The company stated that it has a long-term agreement in place for LNG, which ensures a stable and secure supply. A spokesperson for the com- pany explained that LNG ship- ments destined for Malta pre- dominantly originate from the Atlantic basin region, so Mal- ta's supply is not dependent on transit from the Strait of Hor- muz, where shipping has been disrupted. Clyde Caruana: 'We have necessary buffers to absorb impact of war' The LNG floating storage vessel at Delimara during a refuelling operation in 2017. Inset: Finance Minister Clyde Caruana 187 Maltese evacuated from UAE land in Malta Evacuation flight from the UAE coordinated by the Maltese Foreign Ministry brings home 187 nationals KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt The chartered Airbus A330 at Malta International Airport after it landed with 187 Maltese nationals on board (Photo: Foreign Ministry/Facebook)