British Airways has announced it will suspend its daily rescue flights from Muscat, Oman, due to reduced demand, as the Middle East conflict continues. The airline stated that flights from Muscat to London Heathrow on 11 and 12 March will still operate for customers with existing bookings, but after these dates, the service will pause.
The airline has also extended cancellations of flights to and from Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, and Tel Aviv until later this month, and to and from Abu Dhabi until later this year. BA cited “the continuing uncertainty of the situation in the Middle East and airspace instability” as reasons for the ongoing suspensions.
The Foreign Office reported that more than 37,000 British nationals have returned to the UK since 1 March. Three charter flights have now left Oman and landed in the UK, with the third arriving earlier today. A government-chartered flight from Dubai is also scheduled to depart later today, subject to conditions on the ground.
On Sunday, 30 flights departed from across the region carrying over 7,000 British nationals, the highest single-day total since the crisis began. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the UK is “working round the clock to keep British citizens safe” and acknowledged that Britons at home are “worried sick” for friends and family.
