As dozens of British Airways pilots and cabin crew are brought back from the Gulf on a special BA flight, The Independent understands that the route used is being primed for a major airlift of stranded British travellers.
A British Airways Boeing 787 flew out overnight from London Heathrow to Muscat in Oman to pick up flight crew who have been stranded in the UAE since airspace closed abruptly on Saturday. Iran has been dispatching missiles and drones to attack targets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
The BA aircraft spent four hours on the ground at the Omani airport before taking off for Heathrow.
The Independent understands the flight crew were bussed across from the UAE to Muscat.
The area of Oman where the capital’s airport is located is not subject to a Foreign Office no-go warning – unlike the airports at Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha, which have been closed since Iran’s attack on the Gulf nations began.
The homeward flight, coded BA80, is expected to land back at Heathrow shortly before 11am.
Thousands of British Airways passengers are stuck in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The Foreign Office says they should “remain indoors in a secure location” and “avoid all travel”.
However, The Independent understands that rescue flights to Muscat for UAE passengers are being actively pursued – with UK citizens bussed across the desert to the Omani airport.
Neither British Airways nor Virgin Atlantic currently flies to Muscat, making logistics more difficult. But the Omani capital has the biggest airport easily reachable by road from the UAE.
The drive from Dubai to Muscat airport is slightly under 300 miles, and from Abu Dhabi slightly over.
While the FCDO warning urges British citizens to avoid travelling, an exception would be made for the one-off journey across the border to Oman if planes are waiting to fly them home.
A similar operation could potentially see British citizens in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait taken to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to be flown home.
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