Gulf States Reopen Skies After Iran Airstrikes Disrupt Travel

Post by : Mumtaaz Qadiri

Several countries in the Persian Gulf, including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, have reopened their airspace and restarted flight operations at major airports. This comes after flights were temporarily stopped when Iran launched missile attacks targeting a US military base in Qatar.

As a safety step, Qatar stopped all flights from entering its airspace just before Iran’s attack. Soon after, nearby countries like Bahrain, the UAE, and Kuwait also shut their skies. This caused several hours of disruption and forced many planes to change their routes, avoiding key airports like Dubai and Doha.

During the shutdown, airlines had to fly longer routes because the skies over Iran and Iraq were also closed. Emirates, one of the biggest international airlines, said some of its flights had to take different routes to reach Dubai but didn’t face major delays or diversions. The airline confirmed it is now operating flights as usual, using routes far from conflict areas after a full safety check.

Qatar Airways, which was the most affected, said it resumed flights on Tuesday. The airline added extra staff at Hamad International Airport to help with the smooth return of operations. Since Qatar Airways handles over 80% of the flights at Doha airport, the shutdown had a big impact there.

This is the first time in nearly two years of regional conflict that air travel in the Gulf’s energy-rich countries has been seriously affected.

Qatar Airways disruptions