A Government charter flight will take off from Muscat, Oman, "in the coming days", the Foreign Secretary has said. Yvette Cooper told the Commons that 130,000 British nationals have now registered their presence with the Foreign Office, allowing them to receive updates from the Government as the situation in the Middle East unfolds.

She told MPs: "Members will know that in many of these countries, the airspace is still closed, but I am in close contact with my counterparts across the region, speaking again yesterday with the UAE on the excellent support that they are providing and some of the departures that they are now securing as this becomes viable.

"We are also working with airlines on increasing capacity out of Muscat for British nationals, with priority for vulnerable nationals, and a Government charter flight will fly from Muscat in the coming days, prioritising vulnerable nationals.

"But British nationals in Oman must wait to be contacted by the Foreign Office regarding these options, and we will continue to work 24/7 on supporting British nationals in the region.

"I would tell the House, this is a very fast-moving situation. We have unprecedented numbers of British nationals in the region, and I will continue to update members and affected British nationals as the situation evolves."

British nationals are being advised to follow the instructions of local authorities and monitor the Foreign Office’s travel advice, which officials expect to change rapidly.

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Those in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Palestine, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been urged to register their presence with the Foreign Office online.

Airspace closures in the Middle East have resulted in a number of commercial flights being grounded since the attacks began on Saturday. More than a third of the flights scheduled to depart from the UK to the region on Monday were cancelled.

British Airways cancelled its timetabled flights to Heathrow from Abu Dhabi, Amman, Bahrain, Doha and Dubai. Virgin Atlantic also axed a flight from Dubai to Heathrow.