The UK government has confirmed that a second repatriation flight for British nationals has taken off from Oman.
The plane took off from Muscat, the country’s capital, earlier today just hours after the first charter flight arrived in London‘s Stansted Airport this morning.
The UK Foreign Office announced the flight’s departure on Friday afternoon, writing on X: ‘A second government charter flight has taken off from Oman today bringing British nationals home. The first flight arrived in London early this morning.
‘British nationals in Oman will be contacted about the option of charter flights as they become available. Vulnerable people are being prioritised.’
It added that more than 7,500 people have returned to the UK from the United Arab Emirates since Tuesday, with over 3,400 flying back on Thursday alone.
Sir Keir Starmer said on Thursday that the government will lay on additional charter flights ‘in the coming days’, adding that it was ‘a huge undertaking’.
The Prime Minister has come under heavy criticism over the evacuation of thousands of British nationals fleeing the Middle East after the first repatriation flight from Oman was delayed by several hours this week.
Passengers of the first government chartered plane were left ‘traumatised’ after the plane had to be grounded on Wednesday as the pilot had ‘exceeded his hours’.
Witnesses claimed people were having panic attacks, while others were banging on windows due to the delays as they desperately tried to return home to loved ones.
The UK government has confirmed that a second repatriation flight for British nationals has taken off from Oman
Brits pictured arriving at Stansted Airport early this morning, after a ‘traumatic’ journey back from the Middle East
Amelia Reid, 27 (inset in the wheelchair) and her boyfriend Samuel Sharp (pictured in the black hoodie) had been stuck in Dubai
The young couple were greeted by relieved parents and their beloved dog Penny
Travelling via Cairo, Egypt, the flight finally landed back at Stansted, Essex, at around 12.53am on Friday morning.
Some spoke of the long journey home as ‘traumatic’, recalling delays with checking in, fearful waits on buses and nervous border crossings.
Amelia Reid and her boyfriend Samuel Sharpe, from Dartford in Kent, only arrived in the UAE emirate the day before the military action began, and described having to shelter in the car park under their hotel in Dubai before catching the flight home.
The young couple, both 27, who were greeted by relieved parents and their beloved dog Penny, said: ‘We got to Dubai on Friday morning. We were staying on the Palm.
‘It’s been pretty traumatic. It is not something you expect when you go on holiday, to have missiles flying over your head. It is what it is and we are back now.’
The flight – which some said was not full to its capacity – was bringing back families with young kids and the vulnerable.
Amelia, who was in a wheelchair, added: ‘There were delays yesterday. There was an issue with the checking in.
‘Because it was a chartered fight they couldn’t just check everyone in easily.
‘We waited three hours to check in and then because of that delay, the pilot then ran out of working hours so couldn’t legally fly.
The Government said it was prioritising the most vulnerable and people are reportedly being asked to pay for their seats
Brits had travelled from Muscat, Oman, with a stop to refuel in Cairo, Egypt, before landing at Stansted on Friday
Amelia, having made it safely back to the UK after hiding under her Dubai hotel in a car park, hugs her dog
‘It got cancelled before we got on the plane. We were waiting on the buses. It was pretty nerve-racking.
‘We tried four different flights to get home. They got cancelled. So we decided to go over the border and get the coach to Muscat airport.
‘There were a couple of spare seats on the plane.’
When asked if the plane was full, Amelia Reid said: ‘Pretty much. There were a couple of spare seats.
‘But I think it would have been full if it had gone yesterday (on Wednesday).
‘Some people had flights on standby with other companies.’
Samuel, also 27, said: ‘On Saturday, we ended up sleeping in the car park with about 100 other people in the basement of the hotel.
‘We were stuck down there all night and didn’t get told if it was safe to go up or not. We just went up for breakfast and heard another bang after that.’
Others paid hundreds for a seat on the Government chartered flight back to never hear back.
Poppy Cleary, 27, paid around £350 for her seat but claims she ‘never heard back’ and remained stranded in Oman.
Frightened holidaymakers and British nationals scramble for flights home, with some families paying up to £100,000 for private jets to escape the war-shaken Gulf state. Pictured: Dubai airport this week
A Foreign Office spokesman told the Daily Mail yesterday that the initial flight, supposed to depart on Wednesday, was grounded due to ‘technical issues’.
Brits Fazal Chaudhri, 47 and his 41-year-old wife Federica Santoro have been living in Dubai for three years, but managed to get on the chartered flight back and are heading to Reading, Berkshire.
Mr Chaudhri said: ‘On Saturday when stuff started happening in Dubai, we drove straight away to Muscat.
‘We thought we’d get out as soon as something happened. We stayed in Muscat, we registered for the flight and got on the flight and here we are.
‘For me and my wife it’s been a bit stressful with everything happening. There was a bit of room for improvement because there were a few technical issues with the flight.
‘But they were all working really hard. It was a bit of a shambles on the night that we thought we were going to get on the flight and we were trapped on buses.’
Ms Santoro added: ‘We are fine, we were lucky to get out.’
