Iran latest: Trump’s war powers get Senate backing – as UK repatriation flight fails to take off
An estimated 300,000 Britons are believed to be in areas affected by the widening Middle East conflict, with days of flight cancellations after the US-Israeli airstrikes at the weekend.
Sky News understands the first flight chartered by the UK government for Britons wanting to leave the region did not take off as planned (see 03.16 post).
The plane was due to depart at 11pm local time (7pm UK time) last night from the Omani capital of Muscat, which, because of its accessibility from places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi, has become a key location for people trying to leave.
One passenger who was due to be on board the flight – which is now due to leave today – described the situation as a “total shambles”.
However, some airlines are beginning to operate out of the region again, and Sir Keir Starmer said yesterday that more than 1,000 Britons have arrived back on commercial flights already.
Thousands of cruise passengers are also reportedly stranded in Dubai and Doha, with at least six cruises having been unable to leave.
According to travel portal Hosteltur, the ships have reportedly been ordered to remain in areas deemed safe until new shipping routes can be determined.
Which airlines are operating?
Both Emirates and Virgin Atlantic said they would be running flights from Dubai to the UK, while Etihad had two Abu Dhabi departures planned.
British Airways operated a flight from Muscat in the early hours of Thursday local time.
Qatar Airways said it will start operating a “limited number of relief flights” from Muscat and Riyadh to Europe from Thursday.
Britons urged to register presence
At least 168,000 Britons have registered their presence in the Middle East. The Foreign Office is urging Britons based in the below countries to do so:
- Bahrain
- Israel
- Kuwait
- Palestine
- Qatar
- United Arab Emirates
People in these countries can let the government knows via its website.
