'People had panic attacks': First chartered flight for Britons in Middle East fails to take off

The first flight chartered by the UK government for Britons seeking to leave the Middle East amid the widening Iran war did not take off, Sky News understands.

The plane was due to depart the Omani capital of Muscat at 11pm local time (7pm UK time) on Wednesday.

Follow live updates on the Middle East crisis

Since the US-Israeli action against Iran, and the subsequent response which has engulfed the region, began at the weekend, some air traffic has resumed as thousands of foreign nationals seek to return home.

There have been commercial flights, as well as some chartered by governments. Sir Keir Starmer has said more than 1,000 British nationals have arrived back on commercial flights already.

Sky News has approached the Foreign Office for comment about why the Wednesday night flight didn't go ahead.

It is understood that it has been rescheduled for later on Thursday.

Read more from Sky News:
Stranded in the Middle East? What you need to know

'People had panic attacks'

A passenger who was due to travel on the flight, but wished to remain anonymous, described the situation as a "total shambles".

They 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."

British Airways is among the carriers to have been operating flights back to the UK, including from Muscat.

One took off last night and is due to land at Heathrow this morning, shortly after 8am.

Muscat has emerged as a key location for people trying to leave the Middle East - it can be reached by road from both Dubai and Abu Dhabi with journeys of about 300 miles.

People who were due on the first chartered flight have been taken back to a hotel.

The passenger who spoke to Sky News about their experience claimed they'd been told that "due to slow check-in and delays, the pilot had clocked his hours so needed to rest".

"We have been told the plane will take off later today [Thursday] once the pilot has rested," they added.

"The stress this has caused these vulnerable people is incredibly serious."

(c) Sky News 2026: 'People had panic attacks': First chartered flight for Britons in Middle East fails to take off