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 United Arab Emirates and Israel.
Announcing the initial Oman repatriation flight, the UK Foreign Office said some British nationals, their spouse or partner, and children under 18 would be invited to board Wednesday’s flight.
The Foreign Office said it would “continue to work with airlines to find more routes for people to return home”, and has advised against all but essential travel to the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.
The government said it is the largest consular challenge since the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, while another official compared the scale of disruption to the volcanic ash crisis of June 2010.
