Government ‘looking at all options’ to support Britons as some flights resume

Sir Keir Starmer has said the Government is “looking at all options to support our people” as a small number of flights departed from Abu Dhabi.

Etihad Airways flight EY67, flying to London’s Heathrow airport and likely to be carrying stranded UK nationals, has departed from the United Arab Emirates capital.

It is expected to land at 7.14pm at Terminal 4 of the west London airport.

Larges areas of airspace remained closed across the Middle East amid the intensifying conflict between Iran and US-Israeli forces.

The Prime Minister said the situation on the ground “may remain challenging for some time” but that the Government was “looking at all options to support our people”.

He told the Commons: “We’re asking all British citizens in the region to register their presence so we can provide the best possible support and to monitor the Home Office travel advice, which is being regularly updated.

“Across much of the region, airspace remains closed, and local authorities are advising individuals to shelter in place.

“The situation on the ground may remain challenging for some time, so we’re sending rapid deployment teams to the region to support our British nationals on the ground.

“And we’re in close contact with the travel industry and governments in the region, including with our friends in the UAE (United Arab Emirates), given the concentration of British nationals in that country, and we’re looking at all options to support our people.

“We want to ensure that they can return home as swiftly and safely as possible.

“The FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) phone lines are open to provide consular support, and ministers are available to meet MPs to discuss any individual cases.”

In a post on X, the Government of Dubai Media Office said on Monday afternoon that airlines Emirates and Flydubai would begin operating a limited number of flights, with priority being given to customers with earlier bookings.

Some 15 Etihad Airways flights departed from Abu Dhabi in a three-hour window on Monday, which flight tracking company Flightradar24 said were “likely helping to clear transit passengers who have been stuck there since the start of the conflict”.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline continued to tell passengers not to travel to the airport unless they had been contacted directly and advised to do so.

In its latest statement on X, Etihad Airways said: “All Etihad’s scheduled commercial flights to and from Abu Dhabi remain suspended until 14:00 UAE time (10:00 GMT) on Wednesday March 4.

“Some repositioning, cargo and repatriation flights may operate in co-ordination with UAE authorities and subject to strict operational and safety approvals. Guests should not travel to the airport unless they have been contacted directly by Etihad and advised to do so.”

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper indicated that 102,000 British nationals had registered their presence in the region.

She said a total of about 300,000 British citizens were in Gulf countries targeted by Iran.

British nationals are being advised to follow the instructions of local authorities and monitor the Foreign Office’s travel advice, which officials expect to change rapidly.

Those in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and the UAE have been urged to register their presence with the Foreign Office online.

Airspace closures in the Middle East have resulted in a number of commercial flights being grounded since the attacks began on Saturday.

More than a third of the flights scheduled to depart from the UK to the region on Monday were cancelled.

Analytics company Cirium said 49 of 144 flights were axed.

British Airways (BA) said it was “closely monitoring the situation” and had cancelled “a number of our flights to the Middle East”.

Virgin Atlantic axed two flights to Heathrow on Monday – one from each of Dubai, UAE, and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – while others were rerouted.

EasyJet and BA have also cancelled some flights to Cyprus after a drone hit RAF Akrotiri on the island.

As of Monday, the Foreign Office is also advising against travel to Jordan, often considered one of the Middle East’s most stable and peaceful countries, in “all but essential” circumstances.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “Several airlines have now cancelled some flights to Cyprus due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East.

“Passengers due to travel must be offered the choice of a refund or rerouting on airlines that are still flying.

“In addition, some carriers are offering passengers the chance to move their booking to a later date.

“If you have a holiday booked to Cyprus, it is important not to cancel the booking yourself as it is unlikely you will be able to claim a refund.

“We advise travellers to monitor updates from their airline and follow advice from the UK Foreign Office.”