Filenews 26 April 2023
The landing of the third transport plane in Larnaka on Wednesday morning completed the initial leg of the ongoing British operation to evacuate their citizens from war-torn Sudan.
The arrival of the third aircraft in Cyprus since the operation began last night was initially confirmed by the BBC.
According to Foreign Office officials, there were a total of 230-240 people on board on those first three flights.
The 39 rescued on the first flight, which arrived in Larnaca on Tuesday night, spent the night in a hotel and are expected to be given the option to travel to the UK later in the day.
The same is expected to happen to the rescued passengers of the other two flights.
Britons arriving in Larnaca say the journey from Khartoum to the airport where fellow soldiers and government officials were waiting for them was "terrifying". But when they arrived at the airport, the evacuation process went smoothly.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said there will be many more flights from Sudan. The aim is to evacuate as many of the more than 2,000 British nationals who have sought help as possible within the 72-hour ceasefire.
