The Middle East offers among the most global air connectivity of any region in the world, given its convenient geography. Operating in the region can be difficult under the best of circumstances, given the fragile geopolitics at play. However, things are now getting even more complicated…
Qatar closes its airspace to commercial flights
Within the past hour, Qatar has completely closed its airspace to commercial flights, a decision made “in order to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors.” For now the airspace closure is just temporary, for the coming hours this evening. So it’s anyone’s guess when the airspace will reopen.
Interestingly, just 24 hours ago, Qatar Airways posted a message on social media basically talking about how the airline plans to continue operating interrupted. As the message explained, “our unwavering commitment to integrity, reliability, and resilience continues to guide us as we navigate the evolving situation in the region.” One certainly imagines that there’s a specific reason that flights are being grounded right now.
There are roughly 100 aircraft currently enroute to Doha, so expect to see lots of diversions. So far, we’re seeing most planes land in Abu Dhabi (AUH), Bahrain (BAH), or Dammam (DMM). If airspace remains closed for an extended period of time, this situation could get very complicated. Heck, even if it’s temporary, this will be messy, given the extent to which Qatar Airways’ network relies on connecting traffic.
It’s anyone’s guess how this all plays out
It goes without saying that there’s a major conflict going on right now with Iran, so it’s not surprising in general to see operational complications in the region. I mean, we’ve even seen Israel’s EL AL suspend flights for 10 days, and now the airline is resuming flights with a cap of 50 passengers per flight, over safety concerns.
I think we can all agree that the timing here is interesting, as Qatar is closing its airspace from one minute to the next. If the concern were simply regarding potential unrest in the Gulf region, you’d think the country wouldn’t necessarily close its airspace to inbound flights that are already enroute.
If anything, that points more in the direction of a direct threat to Qatar. The US State Department has issued a “shelter in place until further notice” warning for Qatar, over concern that Iran will strike back against a US military base in the region. American suspended its only route to Doha, also over safety concerns.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry has simply stated that “the relevant authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country’s airspace,” and that “this is part of a set of precautionary measures taken based on developments in the region.”
Bottom line
Qatar has closed its airspace effective immediately, and that means all Doha-bound flights (including virtually all Qatar Airways flights) are diverting. Given the size of Qatar Airways’ global network, this has major implications for travelers.
This clearly reflects concern over Iran retaliating over strikes in recent days. Geopolitics are never easy, but it seems like we’re getting into especially unpleasant territory here when it comes to commercial aviation.
What do you make of Qatar closing its airspace?
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