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One airline has opened up seats on relief flights out of the Middle East in a crucial update for stranded British in the UAE
05:59, Thu, Mar 5, 2026 Updated: 06:01, Thu, Mar 5, 2026
Flights have been cancelled en masse due to the conflict in Iran (Image: Getty)
Thousands of Brits remain stranded in the Middle East, after aviation giants Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, British Airways, and more all scrapped all flights in and out of Dubai en masse on Saturday due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
More than 1,000 British nationals have arrived back in the UK on commercial flights from the Middle East, Sir Keir Starmer has said on Thursday, with an estimated 300,000 still believed to be stuck in affected regions across the Gulf as conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran enters its sixth day.
But there may be a glimmer of hope on the horizon for some, with major airline Qatar Airways announcing that a limited number of 'relief flights' will operate from today to help evacuate terrified British and European travellers.
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Airspaces across the Middle East have been closed and flights disrupted after Israel and the United States launched joint strikes on several key sites in Iran on Saturday, February 28. Iran has retaliated, hitting several countries across the region and causing widespread panic.
Qatar Airways said announced the limited flights in an online statement, adding commercial flights will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority gives the reopening of Qatari airspace the green light by the relevant authorities.
A spokesperson for Qatar Air said an update on broader commercial flights will come this Friday, March 6, at 9am local time.
The airline said it will start operating a limited number of relief flights from March 5 to support passengers who are stranded due to the ongoing conflict.
A limited number of services are planned to both the UK and Europe, but with one catch: Stranded travellers will have to race hundreds of miles to their depature airport if they wish to flee the embattled Gulf.
Relief flights will start operating as of today, and will operate out of the Omani capital of Muscat, travelling to London Heathrow, Berlin, Copenhagen, Madrid, Rome, and Amsterdam.
Relief flights will also operate out of Saudi Arabia, with travellers flying to Frankfurt to depart from the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
UAE military helicopters fly past the Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai (Image: Getty)
But, before any currently Dubai-based Britons depart on a mad dash across the border to Oman, Qatar Air have provided a caveat: Passengers are requested not to proceed to the airport unless they have been contacted directly by Qatar Airways for a relief flight.
The airline said it will contact the lucky selected few with their assigned flight details, travel arrangements, and next steps.
"We are continuing to closely monitor the situation and will share further updates as soon as they become available," the airline said in the statement.
"The safety and wellbeing of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority. We apologise for the disruption caused by circumstances beyond our control due to the temporary airspace closure and thank you for your patience," the airline said.
It asked passengers to ensure their contact details are up to date to be reachable with flight information and instructions. Details can be updated at http://qatarairways.com or through the Qatar Airways mobile app.
The update comes a day after sources from the Foreign Office told the BBC that no evacuation was imminent for British travellers. British nationals in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and United Arab Emirates have been urged to register their presence to receive updates from the Foreign Office.
A Qatar Airways aircraft (Image: Getty)
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told BBC Breakfast the situation was "deeply stressful" for those affected. The foreign minister urged Britons trapped in the Middle East to follow local advice, which was to shelter in place in most countries.
When asked if the government was planning to launch an evacuation, she said: "We are in close contact, for example, with the travel industry, with airline companies and airports and also with the governments in the region."
"But we will need to provide updates for people as we go along... That's why we're encouraging people to register their presence so we know where they are so we can get information to them swiftly," Cooper added.
The Foreign Secretary said that in previous similar situations the government had wanted to work with airline companies, so people could fly home in the normal way.
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While speaking to MPs on Monday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer urged all British citizens in the region to register their presence, so the government can provide "the best possible support".
The government has previously used registration schemes to provide urgent updates to people affected by international crises but the number of people and countries affected in this case is unprecedented.
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