A British couple who became stranded in Dubai when the Iran conflict erupted have finally returned to the UK after a harrowing journey, describing "absolute chaos" at the airport in Oman where they caught their flight home.
Desert Taxi Journey After Flight Cancellation
Sarah Short, 54, and her husband Ed, 58, were on holiday in Dubai when war broke out on Saturday. Their scheduled return flight to London that same day was abruptly cancelled, leaving them scrambling for alternatives. Upon hearing that a British Airways flight to London would depart from Muscat, Oman on Wednesday, the couple made the drastic decision to travel there independently.
They paid £1,500 for a taxi to drive them more than 300 miles through the desert from Dubai to Muscat, a journey lasting over eight hours. "We didn't know what was going to happen next," Mrs. Short recounted of the uncertain situation.
Chaotic Scenes at Muscat Airport
Describing the scene at Muscat International Airport, Mrs. Short said: "It was absolute chaos. There were people who were absolutely in floods of tears, sobbing, shaking." She expressed sympathy for airport and airline staff who were trying to help but acknowledged the disorganisation: "It was sad for them because they were trying to help us, they were sending us in the wrong direction."
The couple eventually boarded their flight at 4:00 AM after the chaotic experience. "We were lucky because we were with our friends," Mrs. Short added, noting that many travellers were facing the ordeal alone.
Emotional Heathrow Reunion
The self-employed consultants received a surprise welcome when their flight landed at London's Heathrow Airport on Thursday morning. Waiting at Terminal 5 were Mrs. Short's sister Karen Fenton, 49, along with Sarah's sons Finn Howard, 19, and Alex, 29, plus their partners.
Holding a banner reading "Welcome Home Sarah + Ed," the family shouted and cried as the couple appeared through arrivals. "It was frightening for them but thankfully in the end it all went OK," said Mrs. Fenton. "They're quite traumatised by the whole experience, they've had to spend thousands on this and got three flights cancelled."
Government Criticism from Fellow Travellers
Meanwhile, other passengers on the same British Airways flight from Muscat criticised the UK government's response. Roger and Sophie, a father and daughter from Surrey who were originally due to stay in Dubai until Wednesday, said they decided to travel to Muscat when most flights from the United Arab Emirates were being cancelled.
"We got extremely lucky because we had the contacts and the means, the financial means," said Roger. "The only thing we would say, because there's genuinely terrified people out there with babies, there's old people, is for the Government to do more."
He added: "The Government needs to basically help people get to Oman and fly out. It's as simple as that. We've got about four or five people we know now, who are just sat there, not knowing what to do, scared."
Flight Operations and Government Response
British Airways has announced two additional commercial flights between Muscat and London Heathrow scheduled for Friday and Saturday, though both are reportedly fully booked. The airline, which does not normally serve Oman's capital, remains unable to operate scheduled flights from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv due to airspace restrictions from the conflict.
Three Government-chartered flights are set to leave Oman to rescue British nationals stranded in the Middle East in coming days, including one on Thursday afternoon that was delayed overnight from Wednesday. Muscat has become a key departure point as most commercial flights from the UAE remain cancelled.
Unlike current guidance for airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha, the UK Foreign Office does not advise against travel to the area where Muscat airport is located. However, there is not expected to be a large-scale evacuation of the 138,000 British nationals who have registered their presence in the Middle East region.
