The UK government will charter a flight from Oman in the coming days, prioritizing vulnerable British citizens in the region amid continued attacks from Iran, the Foreign Secretary has said.
Yvette Cooper said the closure of airspace and the continued threat of attacks from Iran, in retaliation for attacks by the United States and Israel, meant the situation was “moving rapidly”.
The charter flight will take off from Muscat “in the coming days,” Cooper said, adding that the government is working to increase the capacity of flights that can leave Oman.
He said 130,000 British citizens had registered their presence with the Foreign Office, allowing them to receive updates as the situation develops.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Cooper said airspace was still closed but many British citizens stranded in Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, were receiving assistance from local governments.
“I am in close contact with my counterparts across the region and yesterday I spoke again with the UAE about the excellent support they are providing and some of the exits they are now securing as this becomes viable,” he said.
Cooper said the government was “working with airlines to increase capacity from Muscat for British citizens” and that a charter flight would fly from Muscat in the coming days, prioritizing vulnerable nationals.
He said the British in Oman would have to wait to be contacted by the Foreign Office (FCDO). “This is a very rapidly evolving situation. We have an unprecedented number of British citizens in the region, and I will continue to update members and affected British citizens as the situation evolves,” he said.
Number 10 said the FCDO had dealt with 2,700 calls from British citizens, half in the United Arab Emirates. Citizens of Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have registered to stay informed.
Downing Street said the government remained in contact with commercial airlines and contingency plans were being worked on.
Large areas of airspace over the region remain closed, but some limited flights have started bringing people back to the UK. On Monday afternoon, an Etihad Airways flight carrying stranded British citizens arrived at Heathrow Airport, according to flight tracking company Flightradar24.
Major international airports in the region have been targets of Iran’s retaliatory attacks, including Dubai International Airport. Three leading airlines operating at Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports – Emirates, Qatar Airways and Etihad – typically have around 90,000 passengers a day passing through those hubs.
Qatari airspace remains closed and no flights take off or land at Doha airport.
On Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates government said its air defenses had dealt with 186 missiles launched toward the country since the start of the US-Israel conflict with Iran.
Israeli and American warplanes launched a new wave of attacks overnight across Iran, killing 787 people, according to the Red Crescent.
