Flights carrying Britons back to the UK from around the world will now be allowed to transit via the UAE, under the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between the UK and UAE today. His Excellency Khalid Abdullah Humaid Belhoul, UAE Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MOFAIC) and Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the UAE, Patrick Moody signed the MoU at the premises of the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abu Dhabi. The MoU will enable flights chartered by the UK – to help Britons stranded overseas get home – to use UAE airports to transit and refuel on their way back to the UK. The MoU is part of the UK Government’s global effort to fly British nationals stranded overseas back home as quickly as possible. The British Embassy in Abu Dhabi will now work closely with the UAE government to bring this new MoU into action. Welcoming the MoU, Her Majesty’s Ambassador to the UAE, Patrick Moody said:

The UK Government is doing everything it can to get British travellers stranded abroad home. This agreement – a result of the very close partnership between the UK and UAE Governments – will help do just that, keeping vital transit options open. I am very grateful to my colleague HE Khalid Abdullah Humaid Belhoul and his whole team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for their support and for our joint work to beat Covid-19.