First flight carrying British nationals evacuated from Sudan lands at Stansted
The first British evacuees from Sudan have touched down on home soil.
The flight landed at Stansted Airport at around 2.24pm this afternoon after taking off from Cyprus this morning.
Around 100 people were counted off the plane – which was expected to only be carrying 40 British nationals.
Three more planes are planned to rescue more people from the war-torn capital city of Khartoum.
Around 300 people have been have been evacuated on the first four flights.
According to the government’s own estimates, there are at least 2,000 UK nationals in Sudan, though there have been suggestions the number could be above 4,000.
According to the Government, 301 people have now been lifted to safety from Sudan.
Four flights have taken the Brits to safe zones in Cyprus, as the military races against time to rescue citizens while a fragile ceasefire holds.
Another RAF flight was preparing to depart the Wadi Saeedna airstrip near the capital of Khartoum on Wednesday afternoon, with a further three flights expected later in the day.
Downing Street said the flights have been ‘full or close to full’, with no ‘significant issues’ being faced by the evacuees who have been told to make their own way to the airfield.
More than 2,000 British nationals have registered in Sudan under evacuation plans, but thousands more could be in the country.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the operation in Khartoum is ‘running smoothly’, while there is currently ‘no issue with capacity’.
He told journalists that 301 people have been lifted to safety on four flights, with the total number of RAF planes to depart Khartoum due to double on Wednesday.
The official said the ‘majority’ of the people on the planes were British nationals but that some will be citizens of allied countries.
He had not been informed of ‘large-scale problems’ of non-British passport holders turning up and being told they are not eligible.
Despite nationals being told to make their own way to the airstrip, he said ‘we are not seeing those who are making that travel having significant issues’.
Downing Street hopes to carry on with flights throughout the week and does not believe there will be a need to ‘leave the airport imminently’.
A 72-hour ceasefire brokered by the warring rival generals has largely held since it began in the early hours of Monday.
It is understood that if fighting resumes the evacuation operation will not necessarily end, but it will present a greater risk to the safety of evacuees, troops and officials.
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