The delayed first flight of the UK government leaves the Middle East.

 

The delayed first flight of the UK government leaves the Middle East. (Image: Reuters)

After being delayed, a flight chartered by the UK government to bring back some Brits stuck in the Middle East has left. The plane, which was scheduled to depart Muscat, the capital of Oman, on Wednesday, had remained grounded due to difficulties boarding passengers. Following Iranian retaliation for US-Israeli strikes on Iran, thousands of British citizens are stuck in the Middle East. On Thursday afternoon, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer provided an update on the situation and confirmed that the chartered flight had left Oman. Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, stated that it was "an enormous exercise, and ministers must be honest about all their actions" to return UK citizens.

Read More: Did Trump declare war and did Congress approve Iran attacks? What to know

She questioned why "Britain was so woefully unprepared" for the war and what was being done to bring British citizens home. Over 130,000 Britons living in the area have signed up to receive updates from the UK government. Sir Keir stated that commercial flights from the UAE have brought more than 4,000 individuals, including "vulnerable Brits," back to the UK. He said that on Thursday, seven more flights from the UAE to the UK are scheduled to depart, and the government will lay off additional charter flights in the coming days. He stated that British Airways operates daily flights from Oman and that the government will continue to collaborate with partners to "increase the speed and capacity of this airlift." "A consular challenge on a scale not seen since Covid," according to Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer, "no instant solutions." According to Falconer, British residents in Oman will be contacted when additional government-organized flights departing from Muscat become available. However, he said commercial flights becoming available were "by far the most likely and the most rapid routes back to the UK".

 The government's position on the conflict was criticized by the shadow foreign secretary, who referred to Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper as "weak and feeble" in response. Patel stated that the UK's lack of involvement disappointed the US, Cyprus, the UAE, and Bahrain. Cooper had "failed in her duty to stand up for Britain's place in the world" and had not provided the leadership needed to protect military personnel, British bases and British nationals, she added.

 "It didn't take off because there are operational reasons... about getting passengers on board, and it wasn't able to happen in the time that it had to happen," Home Office minister Alex Norris told LBC earlier about the delayed flight. Those eligible for government flights are being asked to pay for seats.  The Foreign Office stated that only British citizens, their spouse or partner, and children under the age of 18 would be offered seats on the initial flight, and that it would give priority to the most vulnerable individuals.

Passengers queue at Muscat airport on Thursday after Qatar Airways said they would begin operation a limited number of relief flights for some places in Middle East(Image: Rajen Shah)

According to officials from the Foreign Office, there were 138,000 British citizens living in the Gulf, 112,000 of whom were in the United Arab Emirates. Airspace remains severely restricted following the missile strikes across the Middle East, with flights grounded completely or partially over Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Israel. The BBC received a message from Mark, a flight attendant, just before takeoff. He is traveling to London Stansted with his young family. He described the "complete shambles" of Wednesday's delayed flight, which took two hours to check in and left them "no communication from the craft or the crew" on a bus to the plane for another hour. Mark said that someone was having a panic attack on the bus, and when the doors finally opened, they were told that the crew was working out of hours, so the flight wouldn't be able to legally get to Cairo. The British people who were unable to get a seat on the charter flight have been looking for other ways to get home. Sam Sahabandu, 47, of Northamptonshire, was scheduled to board a Qatar Airways flight to Heathrow on Thursday afternoon local time. His flight from Sri Lanka to London had been diverted, and he was stuck in Muscat. Sahabandu said Muscat Airport appeared "relatively peaceful" despite the disruption, and some other passengers were being routed through other cities such as Rome to get back to the UK.

Poppy Cleary is trying to get back to the UK after her flight was diverted to Muscat

After her flight from Singapore was diverted to Oman on Saturday, Poppy Cleary, 27, was among those stuck in Muscat. She told BBC Your Voice that she registered for a charter flight and paid for it, but she never received a response. She claimed that the British Embassy in Oman informed her that the first flight was for travelers from "unsafe countries" like the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar, not those who had been diverted to Muscat. Cleary told the BBC after boarding that the Qatar Airways flight that left Oman on Thursday appeared to be empty, with a "fair amount of empty seats," and that she was "relieved" to eventually secure a seat. One woman who was selected for a seat on the government charter flight said that she had no choice but to decline because her parents, who hold Sri Lankan passports but have indefinite leave to remain in the UK, were not eligible. "I am traveling with my disabled mother and my father who has cognitive impairment [...] I feel stuck as I cannot leave my parents behind," Northampton doctor Erasha Amarasinghe told BBC Your Voice.

Erasha Amarasinghe had received a place on the flight, but had to turn it down (Image: Handover)

As approximately 300 passengers boarded an Emirates flight from Dubai on Wednesday night, the scene at Edinburgh Airport was harrowing. The Glasgow-based Andrew Crow and Jean Weir had checked out of the Fairmont The Palm hotel in Dubai just hours before Saturday's large explosion. Andrew stated, "I can assure you that the flight was a long one on the way back, but we are relieved to be home." Larkhall resident Victoria Cameron was returning from New Zealand via Dubai when Middle Eastern flights were grounded. She told the BBC, "The staff said 'run, run, leave your suitcases'." "Emergency alert was going off on our phones. We were shaking and crying."

A mother and son wait for a family member at Edinburgh Airport, where a commercial flight landed from Dubai on Wednesday evening

In the meantime, the United Kingdom government continues to outline its overall response to the Middle East crisis, which includes sending a warship to the vicinity of Cyprus. After a British military base in Akrotiri was struck by an Iranian drone, the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon will be sent to the Mediterranean, possibly next week, to strengthen the defenses around it.

What is happening with airports and airlines in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Oman?

Thursday saw the departure of a number of flights from Muscat, Oman, including a British Airways flight to London. The airline stated that it will operate two additional flights from Oman to Heathrow on Friday and Saturday that have already been fully booked. "We remain unable to operate flights from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, and Tel Aviv," the statement continued. Qatar Airways stated that starting on Thursday, it would operate a "limited number" of relief flights for passengers throughout the region in an update on X.

Source: BBC