The UK government has arranged a flight from Oman to bring back British citizens who want to flee the Middle East, where atrocities are still happening.The UK government set up this flight, which is set to leave Muscat International Airport on Wednesday night at 23:00 local time (19:00 GMT). It will take the most vulnerable persons first.
British citizens, their spouse or partner, and their children under 18 will all be able to apply.The Foreign Office said it will get in touch with British citizens to make sure they got a place on the flight. It also told people not to go to the airport unless they had been officially called.
Since Saturday, when the US and Israel attacked Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, air travel in the Middle East has been severely affected.Iran has since attacked American military outposts on the land of their Arab neighbors, as well as civilian and energy facilities, in response to these strikes.
Thousands of flights have been canceled, and many British people who want to flee are still detained in the area.The Foreign Office announced the flight and asked British citizens who had previously registered their presence in the UAE but are now in Oman to "urgently" fill out a form if they want a place on the charter flight.
Dependents who are not British citizens will need to have appropriate travel documents, including a visa or authorization to stay in the UK for more than six months.The Foreign Office said it will "keep working with airlines to find more ways for people to get home."
On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told MPs that the "safety and security" of British citizens was her "top priority."At that point, she said that Oman was probably going to be the first spot where a government-arranged trip home would leave.
The foreign secretary said that some 130,000 British citizens have joined up for the Register Your Presence initiative, which is available in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.Some flights from Dubai to the UK are still going on, but many Brits are still stuck.
British Airways has also said that it will fly one commercial flight from Muscat to London's Heathrow Airport. The flight will leave on Thursday at 02:30 local time (22:30 GMT Wednesday).The Foreign Office is telling people not to travel to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Qatar unless they have to.
Oman is on the other side of the Gulf of Oman from southern Iran, although it is roughly 1,200 miles (1,900 km) from Tehran, making it farther away from the Iranian capital than most other Middle Eastern countries.The capital city, Muscat, is only 280 miles from Dubai, the UAE's largest metropolis, where many British visitors and expats are currently living.
