British nationals were stranded for hours after a flight set to leave Oman was delayed. The flight was supposed to depart on the evening of Wednesday, March 4, but could not depart due to a number of reasons.
Meanwhile, several countries were evacuating their citizens from Middle Eastern countries amidst the United States-Iran conflict. However, the United Kingdom nationals had to wait for hours.
This caused severe panic and distress among the passengers. According to Sky News, an anonymous passenger described the situation, adding that the British passengers stranded at Muscat airport were told the flight could not depart due to the pilot exceeding working hours and needing to rest.
It was not a simple delay, as passengers had already boarded the flight. A passenger 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.”
‘Total shambles’: Passenger hits out at delayed UK charter flight from Middle East – as minister responds https://t.co/b33DN1aopl
— Liz V (@ShoreEJV) March 5, 2026
Another passenger labeled the evacuation efforts as “total shambles.” The flight that was supposed to leave at 11 p.m. local time was delayed – this was the first repatriation flight to the United Kingdom after the start of the conflict in the Middle East.
The passengers also claimed that no consular staff was there to guide them, and added that several of them were banging on the windows in panic. There were reportedly young children with families on the bus on the way to plane. While waiting, they could not connect with anyone to find out the reason for the delay.
Despite that, they were taken back to the terminal with no explanation.
🗣️ ‘All we want to do is get home safely and securely.’
Vikesh Ramji, a Brit stranded in Kuwait, tells @WilfredFrost he and his family feel ‘really let down’ by the British government as they try to make it back home to London.
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— Ridge & Frost (@RidgeandFrost) March 5, 2026
Later, they were told that the slow check-in and the pilot clocking out were the reasons for the delay. After waiting for 1.5 hours on the flight without any movement, the passengers were taken to the hotel. The incident was stressful for the passengers amidst the chaos in the Middle East.
The United Kingdom Foreign Office also confirmed the delay, and its spokesperson clarified that the delay was due to technical issues. Furthermore, the Home Office minister added, “We expect that to be leaving today, we expect there to be multiple more flights following that. We know people are feeling stressed, our people are on the ground, including at the airport, helping them support them through that.”
United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that so far, 1,000 Britons have evacuated the region on commercial flights. However, thousands still remain stuck in the region due to cancellations and delays of flights. Thousands of Americans are also stranded in the region and have been advised to evacuate at the earliest. There has been a major impact on flights globally due to the current situation in the Middle East.
