UK Opens Charter Flights Portal for Britons Stranded in Dubai After US-Israeli Attack on Iran

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has opened a booking portal for British nationals in Dubai and elsewhere in the Middle East to register for government charter flights.

“- Published The Foreign Office has opened a booking portal, external for British nationals in Dubai who wish to access government charter flights to leave the Middle East region”

BBC

These airspace closures and cancellations followed a joint US‑Israeli strike on Iran, left thousands stranded, and caused substantial travel disruption across Gulf airspace.

BBC

Both reports describe the portal as a government response to the disruption and note the regional scale of the problem, with officials saying they will contact those who have registered.

The government is arranging a mix of government and commercial charter flights to extract UK nationals.

One government flight from Dubai is planned to leave early next week.

Daily Express

Another flight was due to depart Muscat, Oman, on Sunday 8 March.

The BBC reported flights have already begun from Muscat, with two charters returning to the UK.

The Daily Express said the government was arranging commercial charters and flagged that some will carry a fee.

These announcements aim to provide alternatives while commercial schedules remain disrupted by airspace closures.

More than 160,000 British nationals have registered as being in the wider region.

“- Published The Foreign Office has opened a booking portal, external for British nationals in Dubai who wish to access government charter flights to leave the Middle East region”

BBC

Both outlets say the FCDO will prioritise the most vulnerable when allocating seats and will contact those who registered.

The BBC and Daily Express emphasise that the portal is intended to coordinate assistance and help triage demand amid large numbers of stranded travellers.

They also note some charter options will require payment by passengers.

The Daily Express said the disruption was tied to wider violence across the Gulf and that missile debris killed several people in Dubai.

The BBC reported that shrapnel from an "aerial interception" killed a Dubai resident in Al Barsha.

Daily Express

Despite the disruption, Emirates reported moving about 30,000 passengers out of Dubai on Thursday and operating 35 flights to the UK since resuming services.

BBC reporters described a calm scene at Dubai Airport with stranded Britons sharing personal accounts of the disruption.