UK Evacuation Flight from Gulf Region Postponed

(MENAFN) Britain's first government-chartered evacuation flight for nationals seeking to leave the Gulf region has been held up due to "operational reasons," a senior minister confirmed Thursday, as over 130,000 Britons await assistance getting out.

The aircraft, which had been scheduled to depart from Oman on Wednesday evening, failed to take off as planned. Home Office Minister Alex Norris addressed the setback in an interview with media, assuring the public that departure was still imminent.

"We expect that to be leaving today, we expect there to be multiple more flights following that," Norris said.

Foreign Office officials confirmed that 138,000 British nationals across the Gulf had formally registered their presence with the government — 112,000 of them based in the United Arab Emirates alone. Two additional chartered flights are expected to take off before the week is out, with eligible passengers required to cover the cost of their seats.

Norris acknowledged that those waiting at the airport were growing increasingly frustrated, but stressed that government staff had been deployed to provide on-the-ground assistance.

"We know people are feeling stressed, our people are on the ground, including at the airport, helping them support them through that," he said.

The minister also confirmed that hotel accommodation had been funded by the government for stranded travelers during the hold-up, adding: "Things obviously are fast-moving and do take a little time to stand up."

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