Qatar Airways has announced the commencement of a restricted schedule of relief flights aimed at assisting thousands of passengers stranded across the region due to widespread airspace closures and flight suspensions triggered by the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
The airline emphasized that these special operations are being mounted from alternative nearby hubs while its primary base in Doha remains inaccessible, with full commercial services paused indefinitely pending official clearance.
This initiative began on Thursday, departing from Muscat in Oman and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, in direct response to the prolonged closure of Qatari airspace caused by the ongoing US-Israel-Iran hostilities that have disrupted major Gulf aviation corridors.
Planned routes include departures from Muscat to key European cities such as London Heathrow, Berlin, Copenhagen, Madrid, Rome, and Amsterdam, alongside a service from Riyadh to Frankfurt, designed to repatriate affected travelers.
Qatar Airways stressed that regular operations from Hamad International Airport will only resume once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority confirms the safe reopening of Qatari airspace, with the next update scheduled for 09:00 Doha time on March 6.
The carrier advised passengers not to head to any airport without direct notification, promising to contact impacted individuals with specific flight assignments and further instructions to manage the backlog effectively.
This move aligns with similar limited repatriation efforts by other Gulf carriers amid the broader regional turmoil, highlighting the severe impact on global connectivity and passenger mobility in the Middle East.
