The UK government is preparing to operate its first repatriation flight for British nationals stranded in the Middle East as ongoing missile and drone attacks across the Gulf continue to disrupt air travel across the region.

A government-supported flight is scheduled to depart Muscat, Oman, at 23:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on Wednesday, bringing some UK nationals home amid what officials describe as the most significant disruption to international travel since the Covid-19 pandemic. The move follows the escalation of conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran over the weekend, which has led to widespread airspace restrictions across the Middle East.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer confirmed in the House of Commons that further charter flights would be organised in the coming days to help British nationals return to the UK. He also confirmed that eight commercial flights were scheduled to depart the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

More than 130,000 Britons have registered their interest in leaving the region since the conflict escalated, with many travellers and expatriates currently stranded due to the suspension of flights across multiple countries.

Airspace across much of the Middle East remains severely restricted, affecting operations in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Syria, the United Arab Emirates and Israel. The Gulf region is a major global aviation hub, home to several of the world’s busiest airports and key airlines that connect Europe, Asia and beyond, meaning the disruption has had a significant impact on global travel networks.

The UK Foreign Office confirmed that the first government flight from Oman would prioritise British nationals already in the country, along with their spouses or partners and children under the age of 18. Demand for seats is expected to exceed the capacity of the aircraft.

Many UK nationals have travelled to Oman from other Gulf countries in hopes of securing a seat on a repatriation flight. Travellers have been urged to register their interest through official channels while authorities continue working with airlines to identify additional routes home.

British Airways is scheduled to operate two flights from Oman to London Heathrow on Friday and Saturday for customers with existing bookings who are currently in Oman or the UAE. However, the airline remains unable to operate services from several regional airports including Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv.

Despite the disruption, more than 1,000 British nationals managed to return to the UK on commercial flights from the UAE earlier this week.

Some travellers remain stranded across the region, including in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. Muscat, the capital of Oman, is around 280 miles from Dubai, where many British tourists and expatriates are currently based.

The ongoing crisis has severely disrupted airline operations across the region. Emirates has suspended all commercial flights to and from Dubai on Wednesday, although a limited number of repatriation and cargo flights are operating. Passengers who have not been contacted by the airline have been advised not to travel to the airport.

Etihad Airways has also halted commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi until Thursday afternoon, while Qatar Airways has suspended operations from Doha until authorities confirm that airspace is safe to reopen.

The impact of the conflict has also extended beyond the Gulf. Cyprus has experienced further disruption after a drone strike on the UK military base at RAF Akrotiri earlier this week, leading to dozens of flight cancellations at airports in Larnaca and Paphos.

Airlines including EasyJet, TUI, Lufthansa, Cyprus Airways and Wizz Air have been affected, with multiple routes between Europe and the Middle East grounded.

The UK government continues to assess its wider response to the crisis, including deploying the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Dragon to the Mediterranean to strengthen security around the British base in Cyprus while efforts continue to assist British nationals seeking to return home.