On Thursday (5 March), prime minister Keir Starmer confirmed the first UK government charter flight had arrived back in the UK from Muscat after a 24-hour delay, with the government promising more in the coming days. British Airways is also putting on daily flights back from Oman.
However, Starmer warned with 300,000 UK nationals in the region – more than 140,000 of whom have registered their presence with the Foreign Office – the operation to get them home would be "one of the biggest of its kind". "It is not going to happen overnight," he said.
Starmer said the government would continue working with partners "to increase the speed and capacity of airlift". "Despite airspace closures, we're working around the clock with airlines, travel companies and governments to open safe routes home," he added.
Gulf carriers step up schedules
Earlier this week, the United Arab Emirates opened "safe air corridors" with other Gulf nations to get flights off the ground safely, and this has now progressed to a "limited re-opening of airspace". Emirates late on Thursday (6 March) confirmed it would operate a reduced flight schedule until further notice.
This will include flights Birmingham, Dublin, Edinburgh, Gatwick, Heathrow and Manchester, plus around 20 other major European hubs, as well as airports in the wider Middle East region and North Africa, via which Brits may be able to route home.
The schedule also includes destinations in Asia and Australasia, which should help those seeking to transit through Dubai.
Emirates is accommodating passengers with earlier bookings as a priority, while those transiting Dubai "will only be accepted for travel if their connecting flight is operating". Those seeking to leave the region via Dubai should only go to the airport if they have a confirmed booking.
Like Emirates, Etihad Airways has restarted "a limited commercial flight schedule" from its base at Abu Dhabi's Zayed International airport. During the period to 19 March, it will serve Dublin, Heathrow and Manchester, as well as many other European cities.
Guests with existing bookings will be accommodated as a priority; passengers are warned flights remain subject to operational approvals and could be adjusted owing to regional airspace conditions. Additional destinations "will be added as conditions permit" and all other scheduled commercial services remain suspended.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways' operations remain temporarily suspended owing to the ongoing closure of Qatari airspace. However, the carrier insists it is "working around the clock" to organise additional relief flights "where operationally possible". Qatar has been operating these flights from Oman, including services to London.
Latest from major UK carriers
Elsewhere, British Airways has been adding more Muscat flights to its schedule, including services operating over 5-7 March and an extra flight on 8 March, which is already fully booked. BA has said it will continue to add additional services "if it is able to".
In an update issued at midday on Friday, BA confirmed it had scheduled a further four flights from Muscat to Heathrow over the coming days on 9, 10, 11 and 12 March, departing 2.30am local time. It said these flights were "BA customers who are in Oman or the UAE with an existing booking".
Virgin Atlantic is operating its flying programme to the region "as planned" and insists it will continue to "provided it remains safe to do so". The carrier serves Riyadh in Saudi Arabia from Heathrow. Some flights may take slightly longer than usual, it added, owing to adjusted routings.
Tui said its priority was the safe return of its customers to the UK, stressing it was working with airline partners to monitor the situation. "A limited number of flights have begun operating, and we are continuing to work with airlines to secure travel arrangements for affected customers. Customers will be contacted directly as further travel options become available."
For customers due to travel, Tui said there was currently no Foreign Office advisories against travel to destinations to which it is operating, including Cyprus, to which it cancelled several flights earlier this week. "Holidays are continuing as planned, and customers in resort are enjoying their breaks as normal," said Tui.
It added: "Tui will never operate holidays to any destination or region where the FCDO advises against all but essential travel."
Wizz Air is continuing to put capacity from its grounded Israel flight programme into Egypt to offer another route out of the region, while Norse Atlantic Airways is putting on extra frequencies between Gatwick and Bangkok "in response to increased demand for travel between Europe and southeast Asia".
"Recent developments affecting airspace in parts of the Middle East have led to changes in global flight operations and increased demand on alternative routings between continents," said Norse.
Cruise guests sitting tight
Thousands of cruise guests have been stuck in the Middle East for the best part of a week now. Six ships are understood to be in the region including MSC Euribia and Celestyal Discovery, both in Dubai, and Celestyal Journey, which is in Doha.
MSC Cruises has arranged charter flights for more than 1,500 guests who were onboard MSC Euribia. A spokesperson for the line confirmed to TTG the first of those flights departed on Friday morning (6 March).
As of Friday morning, seven flights carrying MSC Cruises guests have departed the region. These include its own dedicated charter services, as well as seats secured on scheduled Emirates and Fly Dubai services, and on government-organised flights.
Guests have been repatriated to a range of destinations, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Spain, the United States and Brazil. “I am immensely proud of how the whole company is coming together with this highly complex repatriation operation,” said MSC executive chair Pierfrancesco Vago.
"We still have some guests on the ship, but we are working hard to secure their safe passage from the region," Vago added.
In an earlier statement, MSC said: "In parallel, MSC Cruises is pursuing every available pathway for the remaining guests – including commercial flights, further charter options and coordinated government-assisted solutions."
Celestyal, meanwhile, said in a statement issued at 5pm on Wednesday (4 March) that guests would be advised of disembarkation plans "within the next 24 to 48 hours". In a further update issued shortly before 4pm on Friday (6 March), Celestyal confirmed guests onboard Celestyal Discovery had now safely disembarked "with onboard teams supporting onward transfers and accommodation arrangements where required".
Remaining guests currently onboard Celestyal Journey in Doha, Qatar, will be advised of disembarkation plans in due course," Celestyal continued.
"All guests have been advised to contact their airlines directly regarding flight arrangements and to register with their respective embassies for any official updates or repatriation support. We remain in contact with embassies and foreign offices to stay informed of any guidance or assistance being provided for onward travel arrangements.
"We sincerely thank our guests and partners for their patience and understanding during this evolving situation. We continue to follow developments in the Middle East and remain in regular contact with the relevant authorities. Throughout this period, our focus has been and continues to be the safety and wellbeing of our guests and crew."
