An early morning rescue flight from China carried 83 Britons and 27 other foreigners.
Social media photos showed the evacuees wearing face masks as a safety measure against the virus.
The chartered flight left Wuhan at 9:45am local time on Friday, January 31, and is scheduled to land at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire at 1pm UK time. The flight will then continue to Spain, where EU nationals will be taken care of by their respective countries.
In the UK, the British passengers will be quarantined for 14 days at Park Hospital in Wirral.
The UK’s Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, expressed relief about the evacuation and emphasized the priority of ensuring the welfare and safety of the passengers.
“It’s welcome news that our evacuation flight has now left Wuhan. We know how distressing the situation has been for those waiting to leave. We have been working round the clock to clear the way for a safe departure. The welfare of those trapped and public safety have been our overriding priorities.”
Shortly before the passengers boarded the flight, Chinese authorities reported 43 deaths, bringing the total deaths in Wuhan to 213. The number of cases in China rose to 9,692 compared to 7,711 cases recorded 24 hours earlier.
The exact number of remaining Britons in Wuhan is unknown due to restrictions on public transport and private cars.