First UK repatriation flight to leave Oman on March 4
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British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper leaves following a Cabinet meeting at Downing Street, in London, on March 3.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – A British chartered flight will leave Oman on the evening of March 4, prioritising vulnerable British nationals who want to leave the region after the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East, the British Foreign Office said.
British Airways, which is currently unable to fly from Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Amman and Tel Aviv, said it would also operate a flight from Oman in the early hours of March 5 local time.
Hundreds of thousands of Europeans have been stranded in the Gulf states since Iran responded to US and Israeli strikes by attacking its neighbours. Those stuck in the region are on holiday, in transit or permanently based there.
Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper told Parliament on March 3 she was in close contact with her counterparts in the Gulf and said Britain was working with airlines on increasing capacity out of Muscat, Oman.
The government said some 130,000 British citizens have registered their presence in the region.
The Foreign Office said the chartered flight would depart from Muscat at 7pm GMT on March 4 (3am, March 5, Singapore time).
It said it would be open to British nationals and their spouses or partners and children, but would prioritise the most vulnerable first.
“British nationals should not make their way to the Muscat International Airport unless they are called,” it said. REUTERS
