First 72 Hours of Middle East Crisis

Shelter in Place is a directive issued when conditions outside are assessed as more dangerous than remaining in your current location. It means you should stay indoors, away from windows, in an interior room if possible, with doors and windows closed. It does not mean lock down permanently and do nothing. Crewmembers & passengers should use the time to account for all personnel, verify communication lines are working, confirm supply levels of water, food, and medication, and monitor verified intelligence sources for updates. Shelter in Place is a dynamic assessment, not a permanent state. It is updated as conditions evolve. Crewmembers & passengers should have pre-established protocols so crewmembers & passengers know exactly what to do when this directive is issued, rather than trying to work it out in the moment.

Stand Fast is a specific MedAire and International SOS advisory term meaning conditions are too unstable to move safely. Do not travel. Remain where you are and await further guidance. The key difference from Shelter in Place is the context: it is typically issued by local government authorities and refers to physical safety from an immediate threat. Stand Fast is issued by MedAire and International SOS as an operational travel advisory, meaning the risk of attempting to move currently outweighs the risk of staying. Both can be in effect simultaneously. Stand Fast advisories are time-bounded, regularly updated, and always accompanied by specific monitoring triggers and conditions that would change the recommendation.

Evacuation decisions are never made on a single trigger. MedAire and International SOS assess a combination of factors: the nature and trajectory of the threat, the viability and safety of available movement options, the stability of local infrastructure and border operations, government directives, and the specific profile of the personnel involved. In general, the window for safe voluntary evacuation closes faster than most crewmembers & passengers expect. The question crewmembers & passengers should be asking before a crisis is not "when do we evacuate?" but "what conditions would prompt us to act, and are our people ready to move when those conditions are met?" MedAire recommends crewmembers & passengers pre-define their decision thresholds, pre-position documentation, and brief crewmembers & passengers on contingency routes before a crisis begins.

This is one of the most critical and least-discussed aspects of crisis planning. Evacuation viability degrades when multiple factors converge: primary airspace closes and alternative routing becomes congested or unavailable; land border crossings become overwhelmed or restricted; civil order deteriorates to the point where surface movement carries unacceptable risk; and government-sponsored evacuation options become the only viable path but require advance registration. Crewmembers & passengers that wait for absolute certainty before initiating movement frequently find themselves making that decision after the window has closed. MedAire's guidance is consistent: voluntary, organized movement during the early stages of a crisis is almost always safer and more controllable than forced, reactive movement under deteriorating conditions.

Every crewmember or passenger in an elevated-risk location should maintain the following at minimum: a valid passport with at least six months of remaining validity, local currency sufficient for 72 hours of independent movement, any critical prescription medications for a minimum of two weeks, copies of key documents (passport, visa, insurance card, emergency contacts) stored separately from the originals, a portable charger and backup communication device, and awareness of at least two exit routes from their location. Crewmembers & passengers should be briefed in advance on assembly points, communication protocols, and the difference between voluntary departure and directed evacuation. The worst time to figure out who has an expired passport is when an evacuation order is issued.

Conflicting information is not an exception during a fast-moving crisis. It is the norm. Different governments assess risk through the lens of their own nationals, their political relationships, and their intelligence access. A Gulf state government may maintain a "safe to operate" posture while a Western embassy issues a withdrawal advisory simultaneously. Neither is necessarily wrong. They are reflecting different risk tolerances and different audiences. Operators should establish a primary trusted intelligence source before a crisis begins and use government advisories as one input, not the only input. MedAire's role is to provide operationally specific, aviation and workforce-focused intelligence that sits above the noise of general media and reconciles conflicting official guidance with verified ground-truth assessment.

Geopolitical conflict almost always has a cyber dimension. State-aligned threat actors routinely escalate digital operations in parallel with kinetic military activity, targeting critical infrastructure, financial systems, communications networks, and Operators with visible ties to adversarial governments or interests. During a regional conflict, Operators should review their exposure, ensure multi-factor authentication is active across all systems, brief IT and security teams on elevated threat posture, monitor for phishing activity targeting crewmembers & passengers in or near the conflict zone, and have a communications contingency plan in the event that local internet or mobile networks are disrupted. Internet and mobile services in Iran were fully disrupted during the conflict, and similar disruptions affected parts of the Gulf region. Operators cannot assume communication will be available when they need it most.

MedAire proactively monitors developing situations and issues alerts through its portal and Aviation App as conditions evolve. During escalation periods, MedAire and International SOS publish updates, deliver briefings, and push notifications to subscribed clients. However, the client relationship is most effective when it is bilateral. Clients with personnel in affected regions should not wait for an alert to reach out. Account managers and the 24/7 Assistance Centers are available at any point for situation-specific guidance. The data from the Iran conflict showed that clients who were actively engaged with MedAire's intelligence platform in the weeks before the conflict began were significantly better positioned when crisis arrived. Pre-crisis engagement, not crisis-time reaction, is what determines outcomes.

A supported ground evacuation is a coordinated, sequenced process, not a single act. NedAire and International SOS can assist with: route assessment and verification of border crossing status; sourcing and vetting ground transport providers; coordinating border crossing timing to avoid peak congestion; providing way-point check-in protocols throughout the journey; arranging accommodation at transit points when overnight stops are required; coordinating visa and documentation support where possible; and confirming safe arrival at the destination. What Operators should understand is that the quality of ground evacuation support is directly proportional to the quality of planning done before the crisis. Operators that have pre-registered personnel, established communication trees, and briefed crewmembers & passengers on contingency procedures will receive faster, more effective support than those activating for the first time under pressure. A recent client movement during the crisis illustrates the point. An initial transfer window was missed because authorisation could not be secured in time, requiring the plan to be reworked and the movement date pushed. Once approval was confirmed, MedAire and International SOS coordinated the provider, client, and transport teams through a live communications channel and supported the transfer successfully on 9 March 2026. The lesson is straightforward: the best evacuation support depends not only on the provider’s capability, but on the client’s ability to make timely decisions and activate the plan before options narrow.