The first UK government charter flight carrying stranded British nationals has departed from Oman after an unexpected delay.
The plane was scheduled to leave Muscat on Wednesday. However, operational issues while boarding passengers kept the aircraft grounded.
Thousands of British citizens remain stuck across the Middle East. The travel disruption began after US-Israeli strikes on Iran triggered retaliatory attacks across the region.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed on Thursday that the chartered flight had finally departed Oman.
More than 130,000 British nationals in the region have registered with the UK government for travel updates.
According to Starmer, over 4,000 people have already returned to the UK on commercial flights from the UAE. These include several vulnerable British citizens.
The government also expects seven additional flights to depart from the UAE for the UK on Thursday. Officials plan to arrange more charter flights in the coming days.
The prime minister added that British Airways will operate daily flights from Oman to help increase evacuation capacity.
Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer described the situation as a major consular challenge. He said the scale of the crisis had not been seen since the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also noted that commercial flights remain the fastest way for most citizens to return home.
Meanwhile, Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel criticised the government’s response. She said ministers must explain how they plan to bring more Britons home and questioned whether the UK had prepared properly for the conflict.
Earlier, Home Office minister Alex Norris said the delay occurred because of operational issues during boarding.
Passengers on the flight also described confusion during the process. One traveller said check-in lasted two hours and passengers waited another hour on a bus to the aircraft with little communication.
Airspace restrictions across the Middle East continue to disrupt travel. Several countries have partially or fully closed their skies, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria, United Arab Emirates and Israel.
Despite the disruption, some travellers have managed to secure alternative flights through other cities such as Rome to reach the UK.
Officials say they will continue working with airlines and international partners to increase evacuation capacity in the coming days.
