First government flight for UK nationals due to leave Middle East tonight
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Some British nationals are being invited to board the flight from the capital of Oman later on Wednesday.
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First UK government flight to leave Middle East with more planned 38 minutes ago Share Save Ella Kipling and Cachella Smith Share Save Some British nationals stranded in the Middle East are due to be flown home from Oman later on a government flight with more planned. Sir Keir Starmer told MPs on Wednesday there would be two more flights in the coming days organised by the government to get people home, after Iranian missile and drone attacks in the Gulf grounded flights. The flight is also due to depart from Oman at 23:00 local time (19:00 GMT) and comes as more than 130,000 Britons have registered their interest in being helped to leave the region since war between the US and Israel and Iran broke out on Saturday. There will be eight commercial flights leaving the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, Starmer added. Those eligible for the government flights will be asked to pay for their seat. British officials are looking at further ways to respond to what has been described as the biggest disruption to travel since the Covid-19 pandemic, with thousands of flights grounded. The Gulf serves as a hub for several major airlines and is home to some of the world's busiest airports, serving passengers travelling to the region or transiting to further afield. But airspace over the Middle East remains severely restricted, with flights completely or partially grounded over Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria, the UAE and Israel. Announcing the initial Oman repatriation flight, the UK Foreign Office said some British nationals, their spouse or partner, and children under 18 will be invited to board the aircraft leaving on Wednesday. UK nationals in the region have been told to register their interest in returning to the UK on a charter plane, though demand is highly likely to outstrip the capacity of the single aircraft leaving on Wednesday. The Foreign Office said it would "continue to work with airlines to find more routes for people to return home", and...
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