First government flight for UK nationals due to leave Middle East tonight

Some British nationals who have been trapped in the Middle East are due to be flown home later today, as Iran missile and drone attacks against the Gulf continue to land flights.

At 23:00 local time (19:00 GMT), a chartered plane is scheduled to leave Muscat International Airport in Oman, with the most vulnerable as the first priority prioritised for a seat.

Since the conflict between the US and Iran broke out on Saturday, more than 130,000 Britons have expressed their desire to be aided in leaving the area.

With thousands of flights grounded throughout the region, British officials are considering further measures to respond to what has been described as the biggest disruption to travel since the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Gulf is home to some of the world's busiest airports, housing passengers arriving or transiting further afield.

However, airspace over the Middle East remains highly restricted, with flights entirely or partially grounded over Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, Bahrain, Kuwaite, Syria, and Israel.

Any British nationals, their spouse or partner, and children under the age of 18 will be allowed to board the aircraft leaving on Wednesday, according to the UK Foreign Office, who confirmed the Oman repatriation flights.

Nationals from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, are being asked to register their intention in returning to the United Kingdom on a charter plane, but demand is expected to exceed the single plane's capacity, which is scheduled to exceed capacity on Wednesday.

The Foreign Office said it would

continue to work with airlines to find more routes for people to return home

and has cautioned against flying to the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar.

A number of people have reported to the BBC that there has been a lack of information about available routes to travel home.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs on Tuesday that the safety and stability of British nationals was a top priority, and that Oman would be the first destination from which a repatriation flight would take off.

Essex's Philip Johnston told BBC Your Voice that he had been stuck in Dubai since Saturday en route home from Mumbai, and had been told he was not eligible for the first repatriation flight because he is not in Oman yet.

I'm sitting in a nice hotel so I can't complain, he said, but I'm getting anxious.

Nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Gaza, Qatar, and the UAE have all registered their presence.

Muscat, Oman's capital, is a 280-mile drive from Dubai's biggest city, where many of the British tourists and expats are now based.

Although many Britons are trapped, a small number of flights to the United Kingdom have been operating from Dubai, which has seen hotels in busy areas of the city hit by Iranian drones.

In the meantime, the UK government continues to plan its wider reaction to the Middle East crisis, including the deployment of a warship to shield Cyprus.

After being struck by an Iranian drone, the Royal Navy destroyerHMS Dragon will be sent to Akrotiri to strengthen defenses around a British military base at Akropolis, but Treasury Minister James Murray declined to announce when the ship would leave Portsmouth on Wednesday morning.

What is happening with airports and airlines in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha?

On Wednesday, Emirates suspended all commercial flights to and from Dubai, but a limited number of repatriation and freighter flights are available, though passengers who have not been contacted by the airline have been asked not to travel to the airport. Although most flights from Dubai have been grounded since Saturday, a select number of flights are scheduled to depart on Wednesday, including to London, Edinburgh, Johannesburg, Lisbon, and Munich.

On Thursday, Etihad Airways has grounded all commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi until 14:00 local time (10:00 GMT) (10:00 EST) on Thursday. Flights will be suspended until the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority confirms the safe reopening of airspace. For an update, travellers will have to wait until Friday, 09:00 local time (06:00 GMT).

Anyone booking between February 28th and March 10th can request a refund or change the date of their ticket for free up to 14 days from the original travel date. British Airways is not operating flights from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, or Tel Aviv, but rather than flying from Muscat to London, beginning at 02:30 EST (22:30 GMT on Wednesday), the airline will fly from Abu Abu Dhabi. Following a drone strike on the UK military base Akrotiri on Sunday, airports in Cyprus have been disrupted, with hundreds of flights to and from Larnaca and Paphos cancelled on Wednesday and Friday.

TUI, TUI's Lufthansa, Cyprus Airways, and Wizz Air are among the airlines affected, with flights to and from Europe and the Middle East grounded. Are you in Oman? Will you be on this flight? Use the form below to get in touch via this link or by using the form.