The UK government will charter a flight from Oman in the coming days to evacuate British nationals stranded in the Middle East, prioritising the most vulnerable, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper announced. The move comes as airspace closures and ongoing Iranian strikes continue to disrupt commercial flights across the Gulf region.
Cooper told the Commons that the situation was “fast-moving” and that the government was working to increase capacity out of Muscat. She confirmed that 130,000 British nationals had registered with the Foreign Office, allowing them to receive updates. The FCDO has taken 2,700 calls, half from the UAE.
British Airways will also operate a separate flight from Oman in the early hours of Thursday to bring home its own customers. The airline, which does not normally fly directly from Muscat, said it remained unable to operate flights from Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Amman and Tel Aviv due to airspace closures.
Cooper praised support from Gulf governments, particularly the UAE, which has partly reopened its airspace for limited repatriation and cargo flights. Virgin Atlantic plans to resume its Heathrow-Dubai service after a partial reopening of UAE airspace.
The Irish government has also chartered a flight from Oman to assist its citizens, focusing on vulnerable non-residents in the UAE. The exact timing of the UK charter flight has yet to be confirmed, but Britons in Oman are advised to wait for FCDO contact.
