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Qatar airspace closed to all flights

Due to the ongoing war with Iran (and concerns about possible missile attacks on major US military installations), Qatar has just closed its airspace completely and canceled all commercial flights. Flights currently inbound for Doha (a major hub) have been diverted. The airspace closure is indefinite - might be for just a few hours, might be longer.

This probably isn't going to directly impact a lot of people traveling between North America and Europe, but Qatar Airways is a major carrier worldwide and more than a few people connect in Doha. Something to be aware of and to watch in the coming days. Not the first airspace and flight closures we have seen and probably not the last. Anyone currently traveling and/or contemplating an upcoming flight through/near the region should be paying attention.

Edited to add: Not just Qatar Airways and Doha. Also Dubai. British Airways, Singapore Airlines, and KLM have cancelled flights in the region, probably more.

No politics, just a heads up.

Posted by
9469 posts

When I first heard of this, I was curious what sort of statement Qatar airlines would have on their website. No statement at all, but an advertisement that business class airfares to Tehran were on sale. Evidently marketing can’t keep up with the changing situation.

Posted by
12761 posts

but an advertisement that business class airfares to Tehran were on sale

Classic example of reduced demand driving prices down

Posted by
5513 posts

Some airlines have cancelled some of their flights, but not all. Dubai is now open again but of course schedules are messed up. Kuwait and Bahrain have reopened their airspace.

The main takeaway is that this is an ongoing hour to hour situation and anyone who needs to travel to these locations should register with STEP and stay on top of news.