Coronavirus: Abu Dhabi Crown Prince sends jet to reunite Syrian parents with children

A Syrian father shared a heartfelt thank you message to Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed after the leader sent a private jet to reunite the man and his wife with their daughters in the UAE, following months of separation due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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“Today, June 16, airports are closed, and people are upset because of the coronavirus, because they left their children and families. The UAE’s stance, and I especially want to thank Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, who has a big heart, for sending us a private airplane to take us, my wife and I, from a European country back to our children,” the man said in a video that has been circulating on social media.

The father of two and his wife, who are residents of the UAE, were reportedly left stranded in Bosnia and Herzegovina after airports worldwide suspended flights in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19.

When Sheikh Mohammed heard about how the two young girls were being looked after by their elderly grandmother, he ordered a private plane to bring back the parents.

The UAE had begun allowing foreign nationals with valid residency visas to return to the country since June 1, but flights to the UAE have so far been limited.

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