Following the missile strikes across the Middle East, airspace remains severely restricted in the region, with flights completely or partially grounded over Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria, the UAE and Israel.
In addition to the government chartered flight which landed on Friday, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said more than 4,000 people have arrived back in the UK on commercial flights from the UAE, including “vulnerable Brits”.
When announcing the initial flight, the Foreign Office said it would prioritise the most vulnerable people, and that only British nationals, their spouse or partner, and children under 18 would be offered a seat.
Sir Keir said British Airways will be putting on daily flights from Oman, and the government will keep working with partners to “increase the speed and capacity of this airlift”, adding that additional charter flights would be scheduled in the coming days.
Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer described the situation as “a consular challenge on a scale not seen since Covid” and said there were “no instant solutions”.
Britons in Oman will be contacted as soon as the additional government-organised flights from Muscat become available, Falconer said.
However, he said commercial flights becoming available were “by far the most likely and the most rapid routes back to the UK”.
Those eligible for government flights are being asked to pay for seats.