A flight sent to transport British citizens from Oman back to the United Kingdom suffered several delays and was prevented from taking off last Wednesday (4).
The plane was chartered by the UK Foreign Office for British citizens who wanted to evacuate Muscat, the capital of Oman, amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
But, after several delays, the Sky News reported that passengers became “very agitated” and that some even suffered “panic attacks” when they were unable to take off, according to passenger reports.
After being stuck at the airport for more than an hour and a half, the flight was eventually delayed because the pilot “needed to rest,” according to those on board. One person told the outlet that the evacuation of the flight was a “total mess.”
“We were told that due to slow check-in and delays, the pilot had logged his hours so needed to rest. They then disembarked us and we were taken to a hotel,” an anonymous passenger reported to Sky News.
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While other European nations, such as Austria and Spain, were able to successfully evacuate their citizens from the region yesterday, the United Kingdom was forced to delay its repatriation efforts.
A British Airways is among the airlines operating commercial flights to the UK from the region, including Muscat, while companies such as Emirates repatriation flights are also operating.
With the escalation of the conflict in Iran, the capital of Oman has become a key location for those trying to leave the region. The city is a few hours’ drive from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates.
Photo: Unsplash. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
