The Foreign Office (FCDO) has opened a booking portal for British nationals looking to get home from the Middle East via UK government-chartered flights with the conflict in the region, which has entered its second week, showing no sign of abating.
The portal went live on Sunday (8 March) and booking priority will be given to the most vulnerable. At least 300,000 UK nationals are understood to be in the region, more than 160,000 of whom have registered their presence with the FCDO.
Addressing the nation last week, prime minister Keir Starmer moved to temper expectations, stressing the effort to get people home would amount to "one of the biggest operations of its kind". "It is not going to happen overnight," he said.
Anyone in the Middle East looking to leave the region are continuing to be told to register their presence and not to make their way to any departure airports unless they have received confirmation from the government they have a seat on one of the charters.
Initial government charters have operated from Muscat in Oman, where airspace is open, but the next batch of flights are expected to operate from Dubai International airport.
According to the FCDO, Nearly 30,000 British nationals have so far left the region since 1 March. A third UK government charter flight had been due to depart Muscat on Sunday (8 March). Since Friday (6 March), 19 flights have left the UAE carrying more than 5,300 British nationals.
Latest from airlines
The major Gulf carriers are all operating limited or reduced flight schedules, including services to the UK. Dubai-based Emirates is currently offering flights to Birmingham, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Newcastle, as well as hubs throughout Europe.
Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has restarted a limited flight schedule running from 6-19 March including services to Dublin, Heathrow and Manchester. Qatar Airways, meanwhile, following the opening of "limited operating corridors" out of the country, is flying to Heathrow. However, it has warned its limited schedule "does not constitute a confirmation of resumption of scheduled commercial operations".
British Airways is continuing to put on daily flights back from Muscat, including services on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (9-12 March). These flights are reserved for BA customers in Oman or the UAE with an existing booking.
Virgin Atlantic suspends Dubai flights
Virgin Atlantic, however, scaled back its operation to the region at the weekend after previously saying it would operate its programme as scheduled.
"Following airport and airspace closures in Dubai and Riyadh on Saturday 7 March, our security and operations teams conducted extensive safety and operational assessments," said Virgin.
"We have strict criteria that must be met for a flight to continue into any region, and our criteria for proceeding to Dubai and Riyadh were not met. As a result, we took the decision to cancel a number of our London Heathrow, Dubai and Riyadh rotations, and safely divert affected services."
This saw VS400 (Heathrow-Dubai) cancelled on Friday, VS401 (Dubai-Heathrow) and VS400 (Heathrow-Dubai) cancelled on Saturday, VS401 (Dubai-Heathrow) and VS400 (Heathrow-Dubai) cancelled on Sunday and VS401 (Dubai-Heathrow) cancelled on Monday.
Virgin has now suspended its Dubai service for the remainder of the winter season, which has been due to operate through to 28 March. "The recent escalation in the Middle East has brought forward the end of our operation for this season," it said.
It added its was pausing flights to Riyadh for the next two weeks, with any further operations subject to ongoing assessments "in line with the latest safety guidance".
Other repatriation efforts
A number of Tui customers returned to the UK at the weekend on repatriation flights organised by Tui Airways as part of wider Tui Group repatriation efforts, which brought home around 600 customers from across Tui's various markets.
These flights included services from the Maldives to Manchester and Frankfurt carrying holidaymakers from multiple markets who were unable to return as planned due to the cancellation of connecting fights in the Middle EAst.
A further two flights operated from Al Ain in the United Arab Emirates with stopovers in Heraklion (Crete); one of these flights continued to Manchester, while the other headed to Hanover where Tui is headquartered in Germany
Elsewhere, Malaysia Airlines has added more London and Paris flights to repatriate passengers unable to transit through the Middle East. It has also resumed operations to Jeddah and Medina. Its flights to Doha remain suspended until the end of the week.
Gulf Air, meanwhile, will operate four repatriation flights for Bahraini citizens and residents to Dammam – two from Heathrow, one from Manchester and one from Singapore. The Singapore Tourism Board put on a one-off repatriation flight to Oman on Sunday (8 March).
Cruise updates
It was also last week confirmed more than 1,500 guests, including UK nationals, who were onboard MSC Euribia in Dubai have left the region via MSC charters, seats secured with Gulf carriers and government-organised flights.
An MSC spokesperson confirmed to TTG on Monday (9 March) "the handful of UK guests still onboard [MSC Euribia] are scheduled to fly out on confirmed flights over the next 36 hours".
All guests onboard Celestyal Discovery, which is stuck in Dubai, have disembarked and are being supported with onward arrangements. Guests remain onboard Celestyal Journey in Doha, though. Celestyal is yet to issue an update with regards to these passengers.
