First UK evacuation flight from the Middle East ‘takes off’ for London
The first government-chartered flight to evacuate UK citizens from Oman is believed to have taken off this evening as the war in Iran continues to escalate.
Around 7pm UK time, the flight was scheduled to leave Muscat, in addition to eight commercial flights leaving the United Arab Emirates this evening.
Metro has contacted the Foreign Office to confirm that the flight is en route.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said two further Government-chartered flights will take off from the capital of Oman, Muscat, to London Heathrow on Friday and Saturday.
The first Government rescue flight and British Airways commercial flight from Muscat depart on Wednesday night.
More than 1,000 British nationals arrived back in the UK on commercial flights from the United Arab Emirates as of Tuesday.
Eight more UK flights are scheduled to depart the UAE today. Still, there is not expected to be a widespread evacuation of the 130,000 British nationals who have registered in the Middle East.
Some commercial flights are operating from Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE, but most are cancelled because of airspace restrictions caused by the conflict between Iran and the US.
British Airways, which does not usually serve Muscat, said it remains unable to operate its scheduled flights from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv.
Muscat has emerged as a key location for people to leave the Middle East, given the Foreign Office hasn’t advised against travel into the Oman airport – unlike the current advice for airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.
Muscat can be reached by road from both Dubai and Abu Dhabi with journeys of about 300 miles.
The Foreign Office said: ‘There are a limited number of commercial options available, including by air from the UAE and from Oman.
‘If your presence in the UAE is not essential, you may wish to consider departing – if you judge you can access these options safely.’
Oman Air has continued to operate its two daily return flights between Muscat and Heathrow despite the war.
Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said Muscat has ‘become a popular alternative for flying out of the region’ but warned that almost all scheduled flights from Muscat are fully booked.’
It added that private jets are being chartered to evacuate those who can afford it.
About half a million passengers per day usually use airports in Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi, which are vital hubs for travel between Europe and the continents of Asia and Australia.
Experts believe it could take weeks to clear the backlog of passengers.
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