John Gifford from Ward End, Birmingham, was also stranded in Dubai with his wife Lisa due to the ongoing conflict, but has since managed to return safely back home.
He told BBC Radio WM: “We did it ourselves, there was nothing coming from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) about what was going on and we couldn’t get in touch with Emirates.
“We thought we can’t wait around forever, so we took it upon ourselves at our own cost to book the flights and got the early morning flight out.
He flew from Dubai on an airbus that was “pretty much full” and packed with families with small children, he said.
“Luckily we had the resources to get out, but not everyone does.”
The FCDO has said the first government charter flight had taken off from Oman on Thursday to bring British nationals home, with more than 4,000 people said to have landed in the UK on Wednesday.
Those still stranded in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and United Arab Emirates have been urged to register their presence via the FCDO website., external