More evacuation flights announced for Britons stranded in Middle East

More flights to rescue British nationals stranded in the Middle East have been announced.

Sir Keir Starmer said two further Government-chartered flights will take off from Oman “in the coming days”.

British Airways announced it will operate two more flights between the capital Muscat and London Heathrow, on Friday and Saturday.

The first Government rescue flight and British Airways commercial flight from Muscat depart on Wednesday night.

Sir Keir told MPs that more than 1,000 British nationals arrived back in the UK on commercial flights from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Tuesday.

Eight more UK flights are scheduled to leave the UAE on Wednesday, he said.

There is not expected to be a widespread evacuation of the 138,000 British nationals who have registered their presence in the Middle East.

Some commercial flights are operating from Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the UAE but the vast majority are cancelled because of airspace restrictions caused by the conflict between Iran and the US and its allies.

British Airways, which does not usually serve Muscat, said it remains unable to operate its scheduled flights from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv.

Muscat has emerged as a key location for people 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.

Travel advice from the UK’s Foreign Office states: “There are a limited number of commercial options available, including by air from UAE and from Oman.

“If your presence in UAE is not essential, you may wish to consider departing – if you judge you can access these options safely.”

Oman Air has continued to operate its two daily return flights between Muscat and Heathrow despite the war.

Flight-tracking service Flightradar24 said Muscat has “become a popular alternative for flying out of the region” but warned that “almost all scheduled flights from Muscat are fully booked”.

It added that private jets are being chartered “to evacuate those who can afford it”.

About half a million passengers per day usually use airports in Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi, which are vital hubs for travel between Europe and the continents of Asia and Australia.

Experts believe it could take weeks to clear the backlog of passengers.