UK working with airlines to boost Oman evacuations

Foreign Minister Yvette Cooper said on Tuesday that Britain was working with airlines on increasing capacity out of Muscat, Oman to prioritise the evacuation of vulnerable British nationals.

Cooper, addressing lawmakers in parliament, said she was in close contact with her counterparts in the Gulf countries, where 130,000 British citizens have now registered their presence in the region.

"We are also working with airlines on increasing capacity out of Muscat for British nationals, with priority for vulnerable nationals," Cooper said.

"A government charter flight will fly from Muscat in the coming days, prioritising vulnerable nationals, but British nationals in Oman must wait to be contacted by the foreign office regarding these options."

In an update, a UK Foreign Office note said the chartered flight would depart from Muscat at 1900 GMT on Wednesday, cautioning, however, that Britons should not go to the airport unless they are contacted.

IAG-owned British Airways ICAG.L said it would operate a separate flight from Muscat to London's Heathrow Airport on Thursday.

-Sarah Young, Sam Tabahriti and Shubham Kalia/Reuters