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International Consolidated Airlines Group SA’s British Airways has announced it will continue operating daily rescue flights from the Middle East until at least the middle of next week. The airline is operating flights from Muscat, Oman, to London Heathrow. Its scheduled services to the rest of the region remain suspended. BA said in a statement: ‘We remain unable to operate flights from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv. ‘We have scheduled further flights from Oman [Muscat] to London Heathrow departing at 2.30am local time on 9, 10, 11 and 12 March. ‘These flights are for BA customers who are in Oman or the UAE with an existing booking.’ Passengers who want to travel on these flights should contact BA on +44 203 467 3854. The conflict between Iran and the US and its allies has caused widespread airspace closures in the Middle East, sparking major disruption to flights. About half a million passengers per day use airports in Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi, which are vital hubs for travel between Europe and the continents of Asia and Australia. Experts believe it could take weeks to clear the backlog of passengers. Muscat has emerged as a key location for people wanting to leave the Middle East. The Foreign Office is not advising against travel to the area where the capital’s airport is located, unlike the advice for airports in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. Muscat can be reached by road from both Dubai and Abu Dhabi with journeys of about 300 miles. Meanwhile, Emirates announced it is continuing to ramp up its operations from Dubai. The airline said it has run 35 departures to the UK since it resumed flights. It said by Saturday it will have 106 return daily flights from Dubai to 83 destinations, which represents nearly 60% of its route network. It said it expects to return to 100% ‘within the coming days, subject to airspace availability and the fulfilment of all operational requirements’. IAG shares fell 2.3% to 363.60 pence each on Friday afternoon in London. By Neil Lancefield, Press Association Transport Correspondent Press Association: News source: PA Copyright 2026 Alliance News Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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