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 left the country, driving eight hours to Oman, where they registered with the UK government and were told of a charter flight to London.
The family of six paid more than £1,700 for tickets, but when they tried to board on Wednesday, Foreign Office 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 to board. “Those two are the most vulnerable and they need carers,” Sattar said.
Sattar’s husband contacted the Home Office, which said they did not have the correct visas, despite every family member holding a UK passport. Sattar was also told there was an issue with her name in the system due to a surname change after marriage. “If we had English names, I don’t think there would have been an issue,” she said.
The flight departed without them. The Foreign Office later told Sattar’s mother that the family had been cleared but had not arrived at the airport. “It’s so completely disorganised,” Sattar said. Staff have apologised but offered no further help. The family has spent nearly £4,000 and her disabled grandmother has run out of essential medication. Sattar is pleading with the Home Office to organise safe transport back to the UK.
