It is a very difficult picture in Libya. This is not an easy situation
David Cameron
David Cameron has said he is "extremely sorry" for the government's response to the crisis in Libya.
"What I want to say to those people is I am extremely sorry," he said. "It is a very difficult picture in Libya. This is not an easy situation."
Cameron was speaking to Sky News in Oman, where he is on the final leg of his tour of the Middle East.
He told the BBC that he was sorry for the situation at Tripoli airport where hundreds of Britons have been awaiting evacuation.
"Of course I'm incredibly sorry. They've had a difficult time. The conditions at the airport have been extremely poor," he said.
The Foreign Office has been heavily criticised for its response to the crisis and William Hague was also forced to apologise this morning.
Speaking on the BBC's Today programme the foreign secretary said he was "very sorry" for the people who could not get out of Libya yesterday.
He said: "Three planes were meant to go out yesterday morning and, for a variety of reasons that I found infuriating but nonetheless we have to deal with, none of those planes were able or willing to take off."
The rescue operation was hampered when the first plane chartered by the Foreign Office broke down on the runway before it could take off.
A flight chartered by oil giant BP ferrying fleeing Britons landed at Gatwick Airport at 7am this morning.
A huge operation is underway to evacuate foreign nationals from Libya and the first plane chartered by the British government left Tripoli this morning.
An RAF Hercules C130 is also on its way back to the UK carrying passengers while HMS Cumberland is preparing to dock in the Libyan port of Benghazi.
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