WATCH: Moment Brits board first charter flight out of Oman amid war in the Gulf
The Foreign Office does not advise against travel to the area where the capital’s airport is located, unlike the current advice for airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha
The Government’s delayed first charter plane to evacuate British nationals from the Middle East has finally taken off, while British Airways has announced it will operate a further rescue flight.
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Sir Keir Starmer said at 2.11pm on Thursday that the flight – scheduled to leave Muscat, the capital of Oman, at 7pm on Wednesday – departed “a few minutes ago”.
One passenger, who gave his name as Mark, said the planned route appeared to be from Muscat to London Stansted, with a refuelling stop in Cairo, Egypt.
He said the situation on Wednesday night was a “complete shambles” involving “loads of issues with check-in” and “no communication from the craft or the crew” while being stuck on a transfer bus.
British Airways said it will run a fourth daily flight from Muscat to London Heathrow – a route it does not usually serve – departing at 10.30pm GMT on Saturday.
Sir Keir said: “We will lay on additional charter flights in the coming days.
Read more: Sir Keir Starmer defends UK's Iran response and says 'we will not stop until our people are safe'
“British Airways is putting on daily flights from Oman, and we will keep working with all of our partners to increase the speed and capacity of this airlift.
“I want to be very clear, this is a huge undertaking.
“It’s one of the biggest operations of its kind, many times bigger than the evacuation from Afghanistan.
“It’s not going to happen overnight, but we will not stop until our people are safe.”
More than 140,000 Britons have registered their presence in the Middle East with the Foreign Office.
Flights from the region have been disrupted by the conflict between Iran and the US and its allies.
Muscat has emerged as a key location for people wanting to leave the Middle East.
The Foreign Office does not advise against travel to the area where the capital’s airport is located, unlike the current advice for airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.
Muscat can be reached by road from both Dubai and Abu Dhabi with journeys of about 300 miles.
Foreign Office minister Hamish Falconer, whose portfolio includes the Middle East, told the Commons: “Following close engagement with Government, British Airways have laid on new flights to Muscat which we anticipate flying every day.
“We are grateful to British Airways for their efforts.
“We are also providing UK-supported charter flights out of Muscat.
“The first of these was delayed yesterday evening due to technical issues at the airport but is scheduled to depart imminently, with further flights planned in the coming days.
“British nationals in Oman will be contacted about these as they become available.”
A total of more than 2,000 people arrived in the UK on eight flights from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday, with more than 4,000 arriving from five countries in the region.
A further 10 flights from the UAE to the UK are expected on Thursday.
Mr Falconer added: “I must be clear, we’re tackling a consular challenge on a scale not seen since Covid.
“There are no instant solutions for moving such numbers of people, especially while airspace restrictions remain in place, but I am determined that people get home as safely and as swiftly as possible.”