The UK government will charter a flight from Oman in the coming days to evacuate British nationals stranded in the Gulf region amid ongoing Iranian strikes, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced. The flight will prioritise vulnerable Britons, including those with medical needs or families with children.
Speaking in the Commons, Cooper said the situation was “fast-moving” due to the closure of airspace and continued threats from Iran, retaliating for US-Israeli attacks. Most scheduled services to and from the Gulf remain cancelled until at least Thursday, although some airlines have begun limited operations as airspace partially reopens.
British Airways will also operate a separate flight from Muscat in the early hours of Thursday to bring home its own customers stranded in the region. The airline does not normally fly directly from Oman, but some passengers were diverted there after airspace closed on Saturday. BA is not advising those in the UAE to drive to Muscat, but customers already in Oman can join the flight.
Cooper confirmed that 130,000 British nationals have registered with the Foreign Office to receive updates. The FCDO has taken 2,700 calls from concerned citizens, half from the UAE. The government is working with airlines to increase capacity out of Muscat and is in close contact with regional counterparts, including the UAE, which has partially reopened airspace for emergency repatriation flights.
Virgin Atlantic plans to operate its overnight service from Heathrow to Dubai on Tuesday night, following the partial reopening of UAE airspace. The airline expects to start bringing full planes of customers back from Wednesday. Cooper stressed that the situation remains fluid and that further updates will be provided as more flights become viable.
