Britons urged to leave Lebanon now – but what are their travel options after most flights cancelled?

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As Israel attacks targets in central Beirut, the UK Foreign Office has run the first evacuation fliight from Lebanon to help British citizens, their spouses and children under 18 to leave the country. The plane from Beirut touched down at Birmingham airport on Wednesday evening carrying “more than 150 British nationals and dependents”, according to the Foreign Office.

More evacuation flights are planned. The government says they “will continue for as long as the security situation allows”.

But the Foreign Office warns: “Do not rely on FCDO being able to evacuate you in an emergency.”

It is nine weeks since the foreign secretary, David Lammy, first urged UK nationals to leave Lebanon while they could. Sir Kier Starmer reiterated the call last month.

The Foreign Office “advises against all travel to Lebanon due to risks associated with the ongoing conflict between Israel, Lebanese Hezbollah and other non-state actors in Lebanon, and advises anyone in Lebanon to leave now”.

The preferred method is by a commercial flight. But options are extremely limited, with almost all airlines cancelling flights in and out of the capital, Beirut.

Seven hundred British troops have been sent to Cyprus to prepare for a possible evacuation of around 6,000 Britons from Lebanon.

The Foreign Office says: “There are ongoing mortar and artillery exchanges and airstrikes in Lebanon, primarily on the boundary with Israel but also in other parts of the country, including Beqaa Valley and locations north of the Litani river.

“Tensions are high and the situation could deteriorate with little warning, which could affect or limit exit routes out of Lebanon. If the political or security situation, commercial routes out of Lebanon could be severely disrupted or cancelled at short notice, and roads across the country could be closed.

“We encourage you to book the next available flight, even if it is not a direct route.”

But how feasible is it to leave? These are the key questions and answers.

Yes. Rafic Hariri International Airport is operating – but far from normally.

MEA, the Lebanese national carrier, is running a full programme of flights, including the usual morning departures to London Heathrow.

According to data from Flightradar24, the only other departures have been of private jets and some government aircraft flown in to bring citizens out.

The UK government stresses it wants British nationals to leave on scheduled flights. The problem is: demand for the few seats is intense, and finding space within the next few weeks is very difficult. With capacity more than halved from Beirut, and large numbers of people of all nationalities seeking to leave Lebanon, The Independent has been able only to find two seats to London, on Friday 4 October, at a fare of £953 each.

Some private jet flights to Turkey have been sold for tens of thousands of euros.

The first UK evacuation flight from Beirut operated on Wednesday 2 October, and more are being organised.

The Foreign Office warns: “When planning your travel to the airport, monitor the local security situation and only make the journey if you judge it safe to do so.”

Flight DN9999 from Beirut to Birmingham was the first rescue flight organised by the UK government to bring home British citizens since the Covid pandemic.

The plane belongs to the Romanian airline, Dan Air. It is a 15-year-old Airbus A320 – a standard low-cost jet equipped with 180 seats, .

The aircraft began the rescue mission in Bucharest, the airline’s base, with a two-hour “positioning” flight carrying no passengers to Beirut.

The plane was on the ground in the Lebanese capital for three-and-a-half hours, missing its intended departure time by 90 minutes.

On the 2,400-mile flight from Beirut to Birmingham, it made a “technical stop” at Bucharest along the way, about one-third of the way into the journey, to refuel and change crew. This was a much shorter stop, just 40 minutes. The plane eventually touched down at Birmingham at 8.39pm,

The passengers on board were British citizens in Lebanon who were contacted from the register of those who have provided their contact details in advance.

Ahead of the flight, the UK government said: “Vulnerable British nationals and their spouse or partner, and children under the age of 18, will be prioritised for this flight.

“This includes those with greatest need, including those with medical conditions, over-65s and children. British nationals should not make their way to the airport unless they have a confirmed seat on the plane.”

Passengers paid £350 for the one-way journey – well above the average commercial fare. But seats on scheduled flights are extremely scarce, and some private jet operators have been asking tens of thousands of pounds to fly people out from Beirut to Turkey.

Other countries have also laid on rescue flights, including Bulgaria, Germany, Jordan, Russia and Spain.

It appears the Dan Air “DN9999” charter from Beirut to Birmingham via Bucharest will continue for the coming days. The plane that conducted the first flight is heading back empty direct from Birmingham to Beirut.

On Thursday afternoon it is scheduled to depart at 3.40pm, Lebanese time, from Beirut, with another technical stop at Bucharest to refuel and change crew.

The FCDO “advises against leaving Lebanon through land border crossings”.

The border with Israel is closed. The border with Syria is open, but the Foreign Office advises “against all travel to Syria due to the ongoing conflict and unpredictable security conditions”.

Some travellers may decide to risk the journey to Damascus, because the airport in the Syrian capital is running normally – with flights to Kuwait City, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah (adjoining Dubai) probably the best bet, due to easier connections to the UK.

But some British nationals are travelling to the northern border of Lebanon, taking a taxi for around 100 miles through Syria to Turkey and flying back from Antakya airport via Istanbul.

The obvious destination for an evacuation by sea of British citizens would be Cyprus.

At their closest the two countries are 100 miles apart. But the distance from the key port of Tripoli in Lebanon and Limassol in Cyprus is about 160 miles, representing typically seven hours’ sailing.

Ferries formerly ran between Tripoli and the Turkish port of Mersin, but no longer operate.

The Foreign Office says: “If you’re in Lebanon and you need emergency help from the UK government, contact the British Embassy in Beirut.”

But access to the British Embassy is by appointment only. The Embassy says: “To call us in an emergency or send us an online enquiry use our contact form.”

Understandably people with trips booked to Cyprus are looking at the map of the eastern Mediterranean with concern. The popular Cypriot resort of Ayia Napa is barely 100 miles from the Lebanese capital, Beirut.

Yet the Foreign Office does not have concerns about Cyprus. The official travel advice for the island has not been amended since June 2024, when it was “reviewed for style and accuracy”.

Under the heading “Regional risks” the only concern is the long-standing warning about travel to the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus: “FCDO can only provide limited consular support if you are visiting areas in the north that are not under control of the Republic of Cyprus.”

Similarly, the governments of Ireland, Canada, the US and Australia express no alarms about Cyprus in their travel advice to citizens.

I think their stance is the right one. “Overspill” from Lebanon to Cyprus looks extremely unlikely. Consider Syria, which has been in a civil war since 2011; even though the Mediterranean port of Latakia is only 70 miles from Cyprus, there has been no danger posed to the island as a result of that tragic conflict.

As the Foreign Office does not warn against travel to Cyprus, there is no prospect of being able to cancel a trip for a full refund. Neither will travel insurance be of help; the insurer will say that there is no reason not to go.

It is legally possible to transfer a proper package holiday to someone else.

Alternatively, the holiday company may possibly offer the chance to switch to a different destination; this is relatively low season, and there may be capacity elsewhere.