The Government’s chartered flight to evacuate Britons from the Middle East has been rescheduled after failing to take off, it has been reported.
The aircraft had been due to depart Muscat, Oman, at 11pm local time on Monday but failed to leave the runway and has now been delayed until later today.
Thousands of foreign nationals have been scrambling to return home as air traffic gradually resumes after conflict broke out across the Middle East following the US-Israeli strikes on Iran on Saturday.
One passenger who was due to travel on the Government's chartered flight told Sky News: "[The] check-in process took about four hours due to technical issues.
"We then got taken to the plane on a bus but had to stay on it for about one-and-a-half hours.
"No consular staff were present airside. They just left us.
"People started getting very agitated, banging windows, panic attacks.
"There are dozens and dozens of vulnerable people, young children and families."
Thousands of foreign nationals have been scrambling to return home from the Middle East
|REUTERS
The passenger described the ordeal as a "total s***show".
They added that passengers due to fly out on the aircraft have since been taken to a hotel.
Oman has seen an influx of foreign nationals attempting to leave the Middle East, as it lies within driving distance of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, where both airports have experienced incidents involving Iranian drones.
Britons who registered their presence in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and are now in Oman has been asked to sign up for a flight home.
CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST - READ MORE:
Qatar Airways has announced it will begin operating a limited number of relief flights
|GETTY
Qatar Airways has announced it will begin operating a limited number of relief flights from Thursday to help passengers stranded in the Middle East.
In a statement posted on social media, the airline said the flights will include services from Muscat to London Heathrow, Berlin, Copenhagen, Madrid, Rome and Amsterdam, as well as a flight from Riyadh to Frankfurt.
It added: "Passengers are kindly requested not to proceed to the airport unless they have received an official notification from Qatar Airways for these flights.
"Qatar Airways will contact affected passengers directly with their assigned flight details, travel arrangements and next steps."
On Wednesday, the Foreign Office said it was working with airlines on more routes in the days and weeks ahead
| PAOn Wednesday, the Foreign Office said it was working with airlines on more routes in the days and weeks ahead.
But the department has pleaded with Britons not to travel to Muscat International Airport in Oman unless they are contacted by officials.
The Foreign Office also updated its travel advice for Thailand, another tourist hotspot for Britons, early on Wednesday "due to the escalation in the Middle East”.
"Escalation in the Middle East has caused widespread travel disruption, including airspace closures, delayed and cancelled flights," it said.
GB News has approached the Foreign Office for comment.
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