Foreign Office starts planning evacution of thousands of Britons in Middle East

"The government does not know how many British nationals are resident, on holiday or otherwise travelling across the Gulf, but it said 76,000 have so far registered their presence in affected areas of the region. More than 50,000 of those are believed to be in the United Arab Emirates, and most of those are holidaymakers or other travellers, rather than residents, with Dubai a major tourist and business destination."

"The UK government's advice is for people to follow local instructions, especially where it is to shelter in their current location. But the situation is uncertain and Whitehall sources said the government is looking at all options including evacuations via different routes if the airspace remains closed and tensions escalate."

"One possibility could be evacuation by road to neighbouring countries where the airspace remains open, such as Saudi Arabia. The Ministry of Defence is working with the Foreign Office on options as part of an unprecedented consular operation involving registering people across multiple countries to identify who may need support."

The UK Foreign Office is developing contingency plans to evacuate potentially tens of thousands of British nationals from the Middle East amid escalating conflict. Approximately 76,000 British citizens have registered their presence in affected regions, with over 50,000 concentrated in the United Arab Emirates, primarily tourists and business travellers in Dubai. Dubai's airspace closure has stranded these travellers without immediate departure options. The government advises people to follow local instructions and shelter in place. The Ministry of Defence collaborates with the Foreign Office on evacuation strategies, including potential road evacuations to neighbouring countries with open airspace, such as Saudi Arabia. The Foreign Office maintains travel warnings against Iran, Israel, and Palestine, and advises against non-essential travel to UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Bahrain.

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