chaos

HOLIDAYMAKERS could get stuck abroad this summer as up to 10 per cent of flights face cancellation if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary warned.

And the budget airline kingpin said that holidaymakers should book as soon as possible to avoid paying far higher prices.

The price of jet fuel has skyrocketed since the outbreak of the US-Israeli war with Iran, which has left the vital shipping route of the Strait of Hormuz blocked.

Speaking to ITV News, the airline chief revealed that between five and 10 per cent of flights in May, June and July could be cancelled if the Strait remains closed.

The Ryanair chief explained: “We have aircraft that are based at 95 airports across Europe.

“And we’ll have to cancel routes at whichever airport where the fuel company advises us they’re short of jet fuel at, say, Malaga Airport or Athens Airport.

“It’ll be those kind of decisions. And we’ll get very little notice – we’ll be told, I think, within five or seven days.

“So we will then be looking around and we will be trying to ground one or two aircraft and minimise inconvenience for customers. But it’s going to be difficult, it’s going to be challenging.”

O’Leary admitted that some holidaymakers may get stuck abroad due to flight cancellations, but noted that airlines have a responsibility to get you home.

He said: “Now, you won’t get compensation because it’s clearly beyond the airline’s control, but we will – and in Ryanair’s case we have lots of flights on a daily basis – we will re-accommodate you and get you back.

“You might be stuck for a day or two, but if you’re staying within Europe, you should be reasonably confident.”

Asked if it would be a “gamble” to book a summer holiday, O’Leary admitted “life is a gamble”.

He continued: “I think we’re looking at the risk of five or 10 per cent of cancellations in June or July, but 90 to 95 percent of flights will still operate.

“So, I think you’re really not taking much of a gamble. I would be much more concerned if you delay your booking, that actually you and your family will be paying much higher prices if you get to May, June, or July.”

The blame for any cancellations should be laid at the feet of the US President, not the airlines, the Irish airline boss added.

He added: “There doesn’t seem to be any exit plan at all. But we are where we are, blaming Trump is not going to get us anywhere.”

O’Leary said that this would be an “unknown scenario” for the airline industry and that “the sooner this war is over, the better”.

The new comments from the airline boss come after he said yesterday that jet fuel supplies could be disrupted as soon as May due to the new crisis in the Middle East.

Speaking to Sky News, the airline chief revealed that while Ryanair is “reasonably well hedged” on 80 per cent of its fuel, the company is being forced to shell out nearly double for the remaining 20 per cent.

O’Leary confirmed the airline is paying around $150 (€130) a barrel for the unhedged portion of its supplies.

Storm Therese has wreaked havoc across the Canary Islands, but a British expat is urging holidaymakers not to cancel as he claims big changes are coming at the start of April

Weather chaos has been wreaking havoc across Spain recently as Storm Therese sweeps through the Canary Islands, particularly Tenerife and La Palma – prompting numerous holidaymakers to abandon their plans after anticipating days basking in the sunshine.

The storm is currently bringing an unusual mix of torrential rain, 100 km/h (62 mph) winds, and significant snowfall at higher elevations. Authorities have issued a full-scale emergency in Tenerife, calling it one of the most serious storms to strike the archipelago in more than a decade. Despite this, it appears locals are beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel, as they’re encouraging people to maintain their holiday plans.

Taking to TikTok, one British expat named Mattie Barnett posted on the Tenerife First Excursions account, where he works, to reveal that a major shift is anticipated to arrive in Tenerife in April.

“Bollocks to the rain in Tenerife,” Mattie declared at the opening of the video, before briefly outlining that they’d been forced to endure days of rainfall in the Spanish holiday hotspot. But now, the sunshine had finally returned.

Gesturing towards the popular Playa del Camisón beach, he remarked: “There were people queuing at eight this morning to get the sun beds after half a day of rain.”

Mattie, who hails from Lincolnshire, went on to predict that the weather will likely remain sunny with pleasant temperatures of around 24 degrees through to the weekend. While early April may bring some overcast conditions, Mattie expressed optimism that the warm summery weather would return shortly afterwards.

It appears holidaymakers are placing their trust in Mattie’s forecast, as numerous people confirmed they’re pressing ahead with their travel plans.

“Coming next Wednesday. Need to be seeing blue skies, palm trees and everything in between,” one person commented. Another user stated: “I come on the 28th hopefully still good weather.”

Spain’s meteorological agency, AEMET, is forecasting that the rainfall will cease by Friday, 27 March, when sunshine will return, with temperatures hovering around 21 degrees for the remainder of the week and throughout Easter weekend, which is typical for this period.

Meanwhile, weather maps from WXCharts suggest that portions of the UK could be battered by heavy snowfall and temperatures plummeting to -9C between April 3 and April 5 – Easter weekend.

Weather charts indicate the snow zone stretching approximately 480 miles from the Scottish Highlands across northern England and the Midlands down towards areas of southern England.

At least 12 major cities could find themselves in the trajectory of the wintry conditions, which may trigger worries about travel chaos, school closures and hazardous driving conditions.

NEW rules being rolled out across Europe are causing so much chaos at airports, that Brits are even missing their flights.

The new The Entry/Exit System (EES) has already been causing long wait times across Europe.

EES is replacing the need for a passport stamp by automatically checking when a person enters and exits an EU country.

Non-EU nationals – which includes Brits – are required to register their details like fingerprints, facial images and scan passports on their first visit to a Schengen area country.

But at Tenerife South, passengers say that only a handful of these EES machines are working with some rejecting fingerprints.

Passengers are even saying they’ve missed flights due to delays in getting through controls.

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Some Brits are warning to give as much as three hours before a flight just in case.

One Brit wrote on social media: “The key is to arrive three hours early so at least you are in the front of the queue when problems start.”

Another added: “Love Tenerife but HATE the airport.”

Police have reportedly been called in to the South Airport on several occasions to calm the crowds of angry passengers.

With bad weather and storms hitting the Canary Islands, those who miss flights are having to sleep inside the airport overnight before catching another plane home.

On one particular day, around 100 passengers were stranded there and many were unable to find overnight accommodation, so stayed in the terminal.

Passengers are blaming lack of staff and proper organisation for the chaos, with computers not working.

“Passport control is a disaster,” posted another Brit. “One person for thousands of travellers.”

Only 20 per cent of the biometric machines are working and officials admitted to the Spanish media that there were “computer failures.”

The chaos has been going on for months and tourism chiefs and hoteliers say the island’s reputation is being hit, compounded by the bad weather.

Since last week, the Canary Islands, including Tenerife, have also been struck with flash flooding and snow as a result of Storm Therese.

Even without bad weather, many airports have experienced delays caused by the new travel requirement of EES registration.

Due to their small size, airports on the Canary Islands have seen reports of long queues.

Travel Reporter Alice Penwill said she waited in line at Lanzarote Airport for three hours after landing – just to get through to EES and passport control.

And matters could only get worse with Spanish airport staff preparing to strike during March and April.

Ground staff are planning to strike at 12 airports across the country – including Tenerife South.

Other airports that could be affected include Madrid-Barajas, Málaga-Costa del Sol, Alicante-Elche, Barcelona-El Prat, Bilbao, Valencia and Bilbao.

And on the islands; Palma de Mallorca,  Gran Canaria, Tenerife Norte, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and Ibiza.

For anyone heading to Tenerife – here are the top tips from someone who has been travelling there for a decade.

And here’s more on the Spanish island that feels more like Mars and flights are just £35.

WITH new travel requirements in action at airports across Europe, EES is set to cause travel chaos this summer.

While you’re likely to be caught up in the chaos and lengthy queues, there are a few ways to make it more manageable.

With many Brits yet to register for EES, it’s predicted that those heading abroad for the summer holidays will be privy to delays.

Some destinations even out of season have reported queues of up to four hours.

These include airports at Brussels, Lisbon, Prague and Lanzarote.

So while you might not beat the queues – here are some tips from Sun Travel to make your next trip easier.

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Sit at the front

First off is quite simple, book a seat at the front of the plane.

If you want to get to border control before the rest of the passengers on your flight, then by being at the front, you’ll be able to get off first.

You might have to join the queue of passengers on other flights – but not your own.

Early flights

When you’re booking, it might ease wait times if you go head out on one of the first flights of the day.

There are generally fewer scheduled flights and they experience less disruption.

So if you get an early flight, there’s less likely to be a backlog.

Whereas if you’re travelling in the early evening, there could still be passengers being processed who are plenty ahead of you.

Anticipate delays

If you are taking a connecting flight, we’d advise to anticipate delays.

Of course this varies from airport to airport, but some travellers might find it will take longer to get through because of the EES requirements.

Similarly, if someone’s collecting you perhaps give them a bit more time – especially if they’re in one of the pick-up zones that costs money.

Go for a bigger airport

If you can go to a bigger airport and take a longer road transfer, it could be worth it.

At a larger airport there’s likely to be more EES machines than at one of the smaller ones.

For example, Assistant Travel Editor Sophie Swietochowski found there were plenty more of the machines in Spain‘s Alicante Airport than in Austria‘s Salzburg.

So if you can fly into to a main hub and then continue from there, it could make your journey through the airport quicker.

Bring entertainment

If you have children, or are generally just bored of queues (and who can blame you?) – think about entertainment.

It could be worth setting the kids up with an iPad or something that will keep them occupied.

Also, bring a reserve of snacks because standing in line means no access to the airport’s cafes and shops.

Get into the priority lane

For those who are disabled, make sure to let the airline know in advance as you would usually.

After landing, staff should escort you straight through to the front of border control queues.

Many major airports offer priority family lanes at passport control for families with young children (usually under 12 years old).

Use the plane facilities

Quite simply, if you are going to be waiting in line for yours, then you want to be comfortable.

So before landing, go to the toilet on the plane.

If you’re queueing along corridors before heading into border control, then the chances are there won’t be access to toilets.

For more on what to expect with EES, hear more from our travel experts.

And here’s the other new passport rules that could affect one million Brits.

Shutdown standoff forces US President Trump’s hand as airport queues spiral and security staff go unpaid.

Immigration enforcement agents will be deployed across major United States airports from Monday, President Donald Trump has announced, in an extraordinary move to ease a security crisis triggered by a prolonged political standoff in Washington.

Trump confirmed the plan in a social media post on Sunday, with his senior border official Tom Homan named to lead the effort.

This came after weeks of mounting chaos at airport security checkpoints and a day after Trump threatened the move unless Democrats backed down on a funding battle.

The crisis stems from Congress’s failure to renew funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the federal agency that oversees airport security.

Since February 14, tens of thousands of workers, including Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners responsible for passenger checks, have continued working without receiving paycheques.

More than 366 have since resigned, according to DHS, and unscheduled absences have more than doubled, leaving major airports struggling to cope.

“This loss significantly decreases TSA’s ability to meet passenger demand and leaves critical gaps in staffing, as each new recruit requires 4-6 MONTHS of training,” it said last week in a post on X.

Queues at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson and New York’s JFK airports stretched for hours at the weekend, with New Orleans advising passengers to arrive at least three hours before departure.

Union officials say some officers have taken on second jobs, while several airports have begun collecting food and gift cards for staff who can no longer make ends meet.

Homan said agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), trained in law enforcement and immigration, not airport security, would take on supporting roles, such as monitoring exit lanes and checking identification, freeing TSA officers to focus on screening lines.

“I don’t see an ICE agent looking at an X-ray machine,” he acknowledged on Sunday, adding that a detailed plan for which airports and how many agents would be finalised by the end of the day.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned the situation was “going to get much worse” before it improves.

At the heart of the standoff is a bitter dispute over immigration enforcement.

Democrats have refused to pass a full DHS funding bill unless the administration agrees to reforms of ICE. Their demands hardened after federal agents fatally shot two US citizens, Alex Pretti and Renee Good, during immigration raids in Minneapolis in January.

Democrat Senator Dick Durbin said his party had attempted nine times to pass emergency funding for DHS entities including the TSA, the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the Coast Guard. Republicans have blocked each attempt, insisting on a single comprehensive funding package for the entire department.

House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries warned bluntly that deploying “untrained ICE agents” at airports risked repeating the conduct that had already cost lives.

In an unusual intervention, billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk said he would “offer to pay” the salaries of TSA workers.

Storm Therese is battering the Canary Islands with heavy rain, 100km/h winds and snow at high altitudes, causing flight cancellations and travel disruption, with some holidaymakers even cancelling their breaks

Many people book a holiday to Spain for some much-needed sunshine, however some are now choosing to cancel their trips as Storm Therese is currently causing chaos across the Canary Islands, particularly Tenerife and La Palma.

The storm is currently delivering an unusual combination of heavy rain, 100 km/h (62 mph) winds, and substantial snow at high altitudes. Authorities have declared a full-scale emergency in Tenerife, describing it as one of the most severe storms to hit the archipelago in over a decade. Spain’s meteorological agency, AEMET, has issued several alerts that will stay active throughout the weekend. Orange (high risk) warnings have been dispatched for northern Tenerife and parts of La Palma due to wind gusts reaching 90–100 km/h and heavy rainfall.

Meanwhile, yellow warnings are in effect across all seven islands for rain, thunderstorms, and choppy seas with waves reaching up to 6 metres (20 feet).

Unusually for this time of year, significant snowfall has also covered Mount Teide and surrounding peaks above 1,800–2,000 metres.

The weather drama has caused many Tenerife tourists to admit they ‘can’t wait’ to get home.

One Tenerife resident, known as @theknightstrider1 on TikTok, took to his account on Saturday (March 21) to discuss the ‘wild’ weather in the area.

The car hire and bar owner filmed himself as he said: “The Tenerife weather is just wild at the moment. It’s on for another at least four days this crazy weather. He explained the Santa Cruz de Tenerife area had just experienced a “torrential downpour”, but then he turned the other way to reveal “blue skies with the sun shining”. However, he noted, within the next minute, the rain is “bouncing down” again.

The Tenerife resident also mentioned the drains “just can’t handle” the rainfall and they end up “bursting up” fairly regularly.

He continued: “The good news is, it is mixed. I suppose that’s kind of good news, you can get a bit of sunshine, but it was absolutely hammering it down a minute ago.

“So there you go, another four days or so of this. If you’re here, expect a mixed bag – heavy rain, a bit of sunshine now… towards Las Americas looks alright. But you’re going to want to do your indoor activities.”

He stated when the sun is out, it’s “about 22 degrees”, but it’s “around 18 degrees” in the shade, the rain and the wind.

Numerous followers amongst his 115,000-strong audience who were heading on Tenerife holidays confessed they were concerned about their break.

One person commented: “When will it be finished? We come Friday.”

Whilst another added: “Praying it passes by Tuesday.”

A third chimed in: “I’m coming Monday, really hope it picks up!”

Nevertheless, others admitted they were calling off their breaks as the Tenerife resident posted another clip of the rainfall, with one person writing: “We cancelled our week away at the last minute.”

Another replied: “Snap – we’ve rebooked for April 12 onwards.” The storm has resulted in widespread cancellations and safety shutdowns across the islands. Over 40 flights were cancelled or diverted by Friday, 20 March, mainly at Tenerife North and South airports. Travellers are urged to verify their flight status via Flightradar24 or their airline.

Numerous individuals on TikTok and Facebook have branded Tenerife South Airport as ‘chaos’, claiming that the luggage queue is taking hours and some people are missing their flights.

Others have also alleged that the E-gates aren’t functioning and hundreds of people have been queuing “to see one passport officer who was having to re-scan face/finger prints”.

Sharing another video from Tenerife South Airport, @theknightstrider1 described it as “rammed” in the caption and said arrivals was particularly crowded so holidaymakers should “be prepared”.

He added in the clip: “If you’re wondering if Tenerife is busy, it certainly is. This is the arrivals area and it’s absolutely rammed. People are still pouring in.

“If you come to the airport, I do recommend you get here nice and early if you’re leaving, there’s bound to be queues when you’ve got this many people around.”

Aena said in a comment: “In Spain border control is the responsibility of the National Police, not the airport. The airport has provided the necessary infrastructure for the implementation of the Entry Exit System but its availability depends primarily on the number and performance of police officers at the border post.”

When will Storm Therese be over?

Storm Therese is expected to subside across most of its affected areas by Monday, 23 March 2026. While the worst of the weather occurred between Thursday and Saturday, some impacts and weather warnings will persist through early next week.

Storm effects are currently continuing today (Sunday March 22) with rain and strong winds. Orange wind warnings (up to 100 km/h) remain in place for Tenerife, La Gomera, El Hierro, and western La Palma.

Weather is forecast to “ease off” on Monday (March 23) with wind speeds dropping and rainfall decreasing significantly. However, yellow and orange warnings remain active for several islands, and some schools in El Hierro, La Gomera, and parts of Tenerife will stay closed as a precaution. Conditions are expected to improve throughout the week.

PASSENGERS face fresh travel misery as a major UK train station is set to partially close again this weekend.

Rail passengers can expect travel disruptions as the bustling hub undergoes a “once-in-a-lifetime overhaul”.

Trains have been slashed and major disruption is expected over the weekend at Manchester Piccadilly station.

Only a handful of services will run on Sunday, with no trains operating from the south and east until 1pm.

The busy city centre hub — one of the UK’s biggest — will have just Platforms 13 and 14 open until the afternoon, and even those will be running on a reduced timetable.

It follows a nine-day closure in February, as part of the station’s £8 million upgrade.

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During last month’s shutdown, engineers carried out major upgrades — replacing 11 sets of points, laying 9km of signalling and telecoms cables, installing 4,000 sleepers and pouring 5,500 tonnes of new track foundation.

Bosses hailed the works as a “once-in-a-generation” improvement of the tracks.

This weekend’s services still running include routes to Liverpool Lime Street via Eccles and Earlestown, Blackpool North via Bolton, and Chester via Earlestown — but passengers are warned there is a reduced timetable.

Meanwhile, Metrolink services will continue running through Piccadilly this weekend as normal.

Separate tram works mean no services will run between Victoria and Rochdale on Sunday.

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: “We would like to say a big thank you to passengers for their patience while this once-in-a-generation upgrade has taken place over the last nine days.

“Manchester Piccadilly is one of the country’s busiest stations and it’s a key hub for people travelling to the North West.

“Upgrading the track over six lines in what’s known as the Piccadilly corridor will make journeys more reliable and the points and signalling systems less prone to faults – meaning fewer delays for passengers.

“It’s all part of our long-term commitment to invest millions of pounds to make the North West’s railway fit for the future.”

March 15 (UPI) — A group of aviation CEOs sent a letter to Congress asking it to end the partial government shutdown and pay TSA, customs and air traffic controllers, as they said the overwhelming number of Americans wants them to.

Airlines for America, a trade association for passenger and cargo airlines, sent an open letter to Congress asking it to fund the Department of Homeland Security so that government employees at airports responsible for the safety of air travel receive their salaries.

This is the second time in six months that the federal government has at least been partially shutdown and follows a 43-day shutdown of nearly all of the government that was the longest in U.S. history.

The letter includes a plea to end the shutdown, on behalf of travel and shipping services that are essential to the nation, and to pass laws that guarantee air traffic controllers, customs agents and TSA agents all continue to be paid in the event of future shutdowns.

“Americans — who live in your districts and home states — are tired of long lines at airports, travel delays and flight cancellations caused by shutdown after shutdown,” the CEOs wrote in the letter. “Yet, once again, air travel is the political football amid another government shutdown.”

The CEO’s who sign the letter include those from Alaska Air, American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, FedEx, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, UPS and Airlines for America.

The CEO’s predict that with spring break, the World Cup, America’s 250th birthday and anything else that an expected 171 million passengers will travel for in the coming months, the chaos similar during the shutdown last fall is likely to happen again.

“TSA agents just received $0 paychecks,” they wrote in the letter. “That is simply unacceptable. It’s difficult, if not impossible, to put food on the table, put gas in the car and pay rent when you are not getting paid.”

Last year’s shutdown was ended when Congress agreed to fund the government through Jan. 30, with plans to pass appropriations bills to then fund the government through the rest of the year.

Amid the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, after the deaths of two U.S. citizens in three weeks at the hands of U.S. Customs and Border Control agents, Democrats and some Republicans in Congress held back an appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security.

While the agencies handling the administration controversial crackdown are under DHS, the department also is responsible for the Transportation Security Administration, which handles air travel.

Democrats have refused to vote for the funding until guardrails are put in place with the funding for the department’s immigration enforcement efforts, including limits and certain tactics and requiring officials in the field to wear body cameras.

TSA employees missed their first paycheck of the current shutdown this weekend, after Republicans refused a proposal to fund TSA, the Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, while continuing to hold back funding for those for immigration-related agencies for further debate.

In addition asking the government to fund TSA, the CEOs asked Congress to pass the Aviation Funding Solvency Act, the Aviation Funding Stability Act and the Keep America Flying Act would guarantee that federal aviation workers get paid in the face of future government shutdowns.

RAIL passengers commuting over the Easter period can expect major disruptions to services.

The UK’s biggest intercity line will be closed for six consecutive days early next month.

Engineering work has been planned for the busy route, which carries over 75 million passengers a year, from Good Friday (April 3) to Wednesday, April 8.

There will be no west coast mainline services between London Euston and Milton Keynes on these dates, with services between Preston and Lancaster halted on Easter weekend (Saturday, April 4 and Sunday, April 5).

The upgrade works are part of a wider £400 million project, which will see improvements to the line’s reliability as well as repairs to tracks.

Jake Kelly, Network Rail’s regional director for the north-west and central region spoke to the Guardian about the latest upgrade.

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“The four-day period at Easter gives us a valuable opportunity to complete projects that simply can’t be delivered during a normal weekend,” he said.

“This ensures we maximise the time our teams are out working on the tracks.”

While the north London neighbourhood of Willesden, north London will see new tracks laid, there will also be repairs and upgrades at Harrow and Wealdstone station.

And a historic bridge in Ledburn, Buckinghamshire, which gained international notriety in the Great Train Robbery, is also scheduled for upgrades over Easter.

Kelly added that Network Rail is working hard “to keep as much of the network open as possible while carrying out these vital upgrades”.

Avanti West Coast will run services between Preston and Carlisle via the Settle-Carlisle line over the Easter period, while Anglo-Scottish services will be diverted via Dumfries and Kilmarnock between Good Friday and Easter Monday.

Network Rail has advised passengers to check before they travel on these dates.

Over 270 other upgrade projects are planned for various rail routes over the Easter period this year.

HUNDREDS of thousands of commuters are bracing for travel chaos this weekend.

An entire tube line will be brought to a halt due to track work.

Transport for London has warned that the Hammersmith&City line will be shut across Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8.

This is reportedly due to track work being carried out along the line.

Sections of the Circle, District and Metropolitan lines will also be affected by the shutdown.

Passengers traveling between Hammersmith and Tower hill, and between Edgware Road and High Street Kensington on Circle and District lines will need to find a different route.

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Those who commute between Baker Street and Aldgate on Metropolitan line will also have to pick an alternative journey.

A huge chunk of Piccadilly line will also be closed over the weekend with no service between Cockfosters and Uxbridge, even on Friday and Saturday Night Tube.

The disruption comes as part of a major upgrade plans on the line, which will see new trains introduced, tracks improved and better CCTV installed on platforms.

Acton Town and Heathrow will continue to provide services.

The closure means commuters will have to seek alternative routes or replacement transport, with other Tube and rail services expected to be busier than usual.

Meanwhile, parts of the DLR will be closed to test out a batch of upgraded trains.

British Airways has warned all services from Oman up until March 7 are now fully booked as the scramble to return from the Middle East continues amid regional tensions

British Airways has issued a warning that flights returning to the UK are ‘fully booked’ as the rush to get back from the Middle East intensifies.

In its most recent public statement, the UK’s flag carrier cautioned that all services departing from Oman through to 7 March are now completely full.

“Flights from Muscat on 5, 6 and 7 March are now fully booked. We will continue to review the situation and, if we are able to, we will add additional services,” a BA spokesperson stated at 2.14pm on Wednesday.

Oman is the nearest nation to major hubs, including Dubai and Abu Dhabi, with accessible airspace. Out of the 136 flights scheduled to depart from Oman today, just 14 have been axed so far. This stands in stark contrast to the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq and Lebanon, where most flights remain grounded.

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The latest guidance from BA reads: “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 on 6 and 7 March.

“Flights are for our customers with an existing booking who are in Oman or the UAE. If you wish to travel on one of these flights, please contact us via our dedicated phone line on +44 203 467 3854. Our teams will also be getting in touch with our customers.”

One BA flight bound for London Heathrow left Muscat after just a short delay this morning. Another is scheduled to leave at 2.30am local time tomorrow, and a third at the same time on Saturday.

Home Office minister Alex Norris has announced that a Government-chartered plane, which failed to depart from Muscat, is now scheduled to leave for the UK on Thursday.

However, he was unable to provide an exact departure time.

Mr Norris expressed confidence that the first Government rescue flight departing Oman amidst the escalating conflict in the Middle East would take off on Thursday, following an overnight delay. When questioned by LBC about the reason for the delay, he explained: “It didn’t take off because there are operational reasons… about getting passengers on board, and it wasn’t able to happen in the time that it had to happen. So that’s now going to go today instead.”

Earlier on BBC Breakfast, Mr Norris said: “We made sure we got them (the passengers) hotel rooms for the night as well, and we are facilitating and rebooking today’s flight. We hope that they do, and there’s multiple flights after it as well.”

In other news, Defence Secretary John Healey is en route to Cyprus in an attempt to defuse tensions with the island’s government following a drone strike on the British base RAF Akrotiri.

Mr Healey is expected to land in Cyprus later on Thursday. His visit follows the Cypriot high commissioner to Britain expressing his disappointment at the UK Government’s response to defending the island.

On Monday night, a hangar at RAF Akrotiri was struck by an Iranian-made Shahed drone, launched from Beirut in Lebanon, according to Cypriot officials. Two further drones detected on Monday were sh.

Shot down by British warplanes that took off from Akrotiri.

The UK has deployed air defence destroyer HMS Dragon to aid in the protection of Cyprus, although the Type 45 warship isn’t expected to set sail until next week.

Wildcat helicopters equipped with anti-drone capabilities have also been sent to the island and are anticipated to arrive this week.

In other developments in the conflict:

– Iran’s ambassador Seyed Ali Mousavi was summoned by the UK Government on Wednesday.

– A US submarine sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean.

– Iran persisted in launching attacks at countries across the region, with Saudi Arabia and Kuwait targeted with missiles and drones.

– Western officials reported that the rate of Iranian missile strikes had declined, estimating that Tehran had several more days of capability to continue based on the current firing rate – although they warned that the decrease could also be a result of Iran trying to conserve its stockpiles.

– Turkey reported that a “ballistic munition” launched towards it from Iran was intercepted by Nato air defences.

– Economic uncertainty continued over the conflict in a region that plays a crucial role in international oil and gas supplies.