A British family stranded in the Middle East after being wrongly refused entry to an evacuation flight from Oman say they have received an apology from the Foreign Office, but no actual help to get home.
Nusaybah Sattar, 26, from London, was in Dubai with her family to celebrate her brother-in-law's 40th birthday when the city was hit by Iranian drones and missiles last Saturday. The family drove eight hours to Oman and registered with the UK government, paying more than £1,700 for tickets on a Foreign Office-chartered flight to London.
When they tried to board on Wednesday, ground workers said most had not been approved. Only Sattar's 19-month-old toddler and her 84-year-old grandmother-in-law, who uses a wheelchair, were cleared. Sattar said: 'Those two are the most vulnerable of our group and they need carers. They can't just go on a flight by themselves.'
The Foreign Office later told Sattar's mother that the family had all been cleared but, according to its records, had not arrived at the airport. Sattar said: 'There's so many different things that they've been saying to everyone and none of it is actually true. It's so completely disorganised.'
Staff members have apologised but failed to offer further help. The family returned to Dubai, spending nearly £4,000 on tickets, hotels, and transport. Sattar said her disabled grandmother has run out of essential medication, and the Foreign Office told her it was 'not willing to do anything to help us get back'.
