UK announces first Middle East repatriation flight

BBC:

The UK government has chartered a repatriation flight from Oman to help British nationals who want to leave the Middle East, as attacks continue to take place across the region.

The flight, the first specifically arranged by the UK government, is currently scheduled to leave Muscat International Airport on Wednesday night at 23:00 local time (19:00 GMT) – and will prioritise the most vulnerable people first.

British nationals and their spouse or partner, and their children under the age of 18, will all be eligible.

The Foreign Office said that it would contact British nationals to secure them a seat on the flight, and urged people not to make their way to the airport unless they have been officially called.

Air travel in the Middle East has been severely disrupted since Saturday, when the US and Israel launched strikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has since retaliated with attacks across the region, targeting American military bases on the soil of their Arab neighbours, but also civilian and energy infrastructure.

Thousands of flights have been cancelled, and many British citizens who would like to leave remain stuck in the region.

Announcing the flight, the Foreign Office asked that British nationals who have previously registered their presence in the UAE but are are now in Oman to “urgently” fill out a form if they would like a seat on the charter flight.

Dependents who are not British nationals will require a valid travel documentation to be eligible, such as a visa or a permission to remain in the UK that was granted for more than six months.

The Foreign Office said it would “continue to work with airlines to find more routes for people to return home”.