UK’s first chartered flight to evacuate Britons from Middle East fails to take off

Aircraft was due to depart Muscat, Oman, at 7pm on Wednesday NewsUKHome NewsUK’s first chartered flight to evacuate Britons from Middle East fails to take offAircraft was due to depart Muscat, Oman, at 7pm on WednesdayDan Haygarth & Harriet BoucherThursday 05 March 2026 06:38 GMTBookmarkCommentsGo to commentsBookmark popoverRemoved from bookmarksClose popoverRelated: UK sending warship to Cyprus after RAF base attacked by IranYour support helps us to tell the storyRead moreSupport NowFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.Read moreThe first flight chartered by the UK government to bring back Britons stranded in the Middle East by the US-Israeli war against Iran did not take off from Oman on Wednesday. Sky News reported that the plane, which was due to depart Muscat at 7pm on Wednesday, remained on the ground on Thursday morning. Some 130,000 Britons have registered their presence in the Middle East and the Foreign Office has said it is working with airlines to bring them back.There was no sign of the chartered flight arriving at the Heathrow airport on Thursday morning and it did not appear on flight tracking services or arrival boards at the terminal.A shepherd boy walks away from an unexploded Iranian projectile that landed in an open field in the outskirts of Qamishli, eastern Syria, on 4 March 2026 (AP)Early morning arrivals included flights from South Africa and Nigeria as scheduled, but the terminal was quiet. A few commercial flights from the Middle East are due to arrive at Heathrow’s terminal 5 this morning, with one from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, landing at just after 6am. A British Airways flight from Muscat, due to arrive at 6.25 this morning is delayed until 8.13am, according to an arrival board.Flights from Doha and Dubai have been cancelled.The Independent has approached the Foreign Office and the British embassy in Oman for comment. More aboutOmanMiddle EastIranJoin our commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesCommentsMost popularPopular videosBulletinRead next