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Middle East crisis: UAE opens 'safe air corridors' as UK government confirms plans for first repatriation flight

Middle East
James Chapple
4 March 2026

The first repatriation flight for British nationals eager to leave the Middle East after several days of conflict will take off from Oman on Wednesday evening (4 March) as airspace closures in the region continue.

The United Arab Emirates has opened 'safe air corridors'
(Credit: iStock / Nigel Harris)
The UK government continues to advise against all but essential travel to the United Arab Emirates (Credit: iStock / Nigel Harris)

The flight, which has been chartered by the UK government, is scheduled to depart Muscat International airport at 11pm local time (7pm GMT). Seats will be offered as a priority to the most vulnerable.

It follows a statement to the House of Commons by foreign secretary Yvette Cooper on Tuesday (3 March) who confirmed 130,000 British nationals had now registered their presence in the region with the FCDO.

Cooper told MPs that while airspace in the region largely remains closed, she was in "close contact" with her Middle East counterparts – notably the authorities in the United Arab Emirates – to secure departures "as they become viable".