British Airways ‘pauses’ Middle East rescue flights with ‘restricted seats’ warning

British Airways has announced it will stop running rescue flights from Muscat because of reduced demand, and has extended its suspension of operations in the rest of the region

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British Airways has revealed it will halt rescue flights from the Middle East due to “reduced demand”, and has prolonged its suspension of services across the wider region.

The carrier has been operating daily flights from Muscat in Oman to London’s Heathrow Airport since March 5.

However, it confirmed it will “pause” the flights following Thursday’s (March 12) departure.

BA doesn’t typically serve Muscat, but the capital became a crucial hub for holidaymakers stranded in neighbouring nations due to the conflict.

The Foreign Office hasn’t issued travel warnings against the area surrounding the airport, in contrast to guidance for airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha.

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Muscat is accessible by road from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with journeys spanning approximately 300 miles.

BA stated: “We have limited seats remaining on our repatriation flights from Oman (Muscat) to London Heathrow on 11 and 12 March for customers with an existing booking.

“Following these dates, the flights will pause due to reduced demand but will be kept under continuous review.”

Carriers like Emirates operating major Middle Eastern hubs have managed to increase their operations recently, lessening the necessity for travellers to journey to Muscat.

BA also confirmed that the suspension of its flights to the remainder of the Middle East will persist.

It stated: “Due to the continuing uncertainty of the situation in the Middle East and air space instability, we’ve had to temporarily reduce our flying schedule in the region.

“We’ve cancelled all flights to and from Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv until later this month and to and from Abu Dhabi until later this year.

“We’re keeping the situation under constant review and are in touch with our customers to offer them a range of options.”

Despite BA’s announcement, it was anticipated that some 36 commercial flights from the region to the UK would take off on Tuesday, ferrying thousands of Brits.

Approximately 45,000 British nationals have managed to depart since commercial flights resumed from countries embroiled in the crisis.

The Government is also persisting with charter flights, prioritising vulnerable Britons.

A second chartered flight from Dubai was expected to depart on Tuesday.

The response to the Middle East conflict is being orchestrated from a crisis centre deep within the Foreign Office.

Dozens of staff are stationed in the centre, with massive screens displaying continuous news from the crisis zone and another screen showing aircraft movements around the region.

Foreign Office officials, including teams addressing both the consular issues affecting Britons in the area and the political and diplomatic crisis, are working tirelessly in the crisis centre.

They’ve been joined by representatives from across Whitehall, including the Ministry of Defence, Department for Transport and Home Office.

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