A flight chartered by the UK government to bring back Britons stranded in the Middle East has departed from Oman's capital Muscat after being delayed.
According to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, the chartered flight had departed Oman on Thursday afternoon.
Thousands of British nationals are stuck in the Middle East after US-Israeli strikes on Iran prompted retaliatory strikes by Iran across the region.
Police Response and Timeline
Home Office minister Alex Norris told LBC that the flight was delayed due to operational reasons, including difficulties in getting passengers on board.
A passenger on the flight, named Mark, described the "complete shambles" of Wednesday's delayed flight, including a two-hour check-in and being stuck on a bus to the plane for another hour.
Situation Update
More than 130,000 Britons in the region have registered for updates from the UK government, with over 4,000 people arriving back in the UK on commercial flights from the UAE.
A further seven flights are due to leave the UAE for the UK on Thursday, with the government planning to lay on additional charter flights in the coming days.
Official Statements
Shadow Foreign Secretary Priti Patel criticized the government's handling of the situation, saying that returning UK nationals was "an enormous exercise and ministers must be honest about all their actions".
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".
Travel Disruptions
Airports in the Middle East remain severely restricted, with flights completely or partially grounded over several countries, including Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria, the UAE, and Israel.
British Airways operated a flight from Muscat early on Thursday and is operating two more flights from Oman to Heathrow on Friday and Saturday, both of which are fully booked.
