Thousands of passengers face travel disturbances in the middle Iran’s reprisals Against the American bombing of its nuclear installations.
Qatar said on Monday that it would close its airspace up to at least the end of the day. Shortly after, Qatar said its air defenses had shot down Iranian missiles for an American air base in the Gulf State. Kuwait and Bahrain also closed their airspace, Reuters reported.
An American defense official confirmed to Business Insider that Iran had launched short-range and medium-range ballistic missiles at Al Udeid Air Base, the largest base in the Middle East in the American army. Doha said his air defenses had thwarted the attack and that no victim had been reported.
Iranian state media said missiles were also drawn on an American basis in Iraq.
Hamad International Airport in the Capital of Doha is a large international travel center. It is the basis of Qatar Airways and serves nearly 90 different countries.
Before the announcement of Qatar closing its airspace, Singapore Airlines, Air France, British Airways and Finnair had all canceled flights in Doha and Dubai nearby after the The United States has bombed Iranian nuclear installations SATURDAY.
Finnair said on Monday that he hung flights to Doha until June 30, citing “the situation in the region”.
International of Dubai is classified as the most frequented in the world for international passenger traffic, which means that disturbances have an oversized impact on other airports.
Ba Flight 109 was on the way to Dubai during strikes. Flightradar24 data show that it has become UP on Saudi Arabia and has detached itself to Zurich on a nine -hour trip.
Meanwhile, American Airlines, United Airlines and Air Canada had started to suspend certain flights to the region in the days preceding the attacks on Saturday.
Even for routes that have not faced cancellations, flights will take more time.
Indeed, they can no longer fly over Israel, Iran and Iraq, which closed their air spaces after Israel launched a missile attack on Iran on June 13.
Flightradar24 data showed that Air France flights take up to an hour more when they flew over Egypt and Saudi Arabia instead.
Qatar Airways said in a press release that these were temporary suspension flights. “We are working in close collaboration with government stakeholders and the competent authorities to support all the passengers who have been affected and resume operations when the airspace reopens,” said the airline.
Like the Emirates of Dubai, its commercial model counts on the exploitation of its geography to link destinations from around the world via its attachment base. Flightradar24 said there were 100 flights to Doha when the country closed its airspace, forcing many diversions.
The airline was named the best in the world to the Skytrax Awards during last week Paris air showAfter the CEO Badr Mohammed al-Meer had to withdraw to focus on “our operational responsibilities due to the geopolitical situation in the Middle East”.
“It’s incredibly strange not to be there,” he said in a video message. “In addition to a decade with our airline and our airport, I never missed a Skytrax ceremony.”
Longer detours will also reduce the profits of airlines by requiring more fuel.
The conflict could further increase oil prices while Iran plans to close the Hormuz StraitA vital sea passage connecting the Persian Gulf to the ocean.