The first UK government-chartered flight evacuating British nationals from the Middle East landed at Stansted airport early on Friday, after departing Oman nearly a day late due to technical issues. The flight left Muscat late Thursday night, almost 24 hours behind schedule, and touched down shortly before 1am.
The evacuation comes amid heightened regional tensions following US-Israeli strikes on Iran, which prompted retaliatory attacks and disrupted flights across several Middle Eastern countries. Over 140,000 British nationals in the Gulf registered for assistance, with at least 4,000 already returning via commercial flights from the UAE. The government said additional charter flights would follow, but emphasised that commercial routes remain the fastest option for most.
Passengers reported chaotic scenes and uncertainty. Amelia Reid and Samuel Sharp, who had been on holiday in Dubai, drove to the Oman border and took a coach to Muscat airport hoping to secure seats. Reid, a wheelchair user, said: 'We left Dubai yesterday lunchtime, went straight to the Oman border, and went on a coach all the way to Muscat airport in the hope we’d get on the government plane.' She was later reunited with her family and dog in the UK.
Another passenger, who drove 300 miles from Dubai with his wife and young child, spent 36 hours waiting at Muscat airport. He said: 'We took almost four hours for check-in. And then after that, we were told we can’t fly because pilot is on overtime, so we had to go back to the hotel.' However, Fazal Chowdhury, a Dubai resident, praised the government's efforts, saying: 'There was a bit of room for improvement... but to be honest, they were all working really hard.'
Earlier, a passenger waiting to board described 'total shambles' after the plane failed to depart as scheduled, with check-in taking four hours due to technical issues. Etihad Airways announced it would resume limited commercial flights to Heathrow, Manchester and Dublin until 19 March. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer insisted the special relationship with the US is 'in operation right now', as additional UK Typhoon jets were deployed to Qatar.
