Middle East Crisis: Qatar Airways Launches Relief Flights

Amid widespread disruption to air travel across the Middle East, Qatar Airways has announced the launch of a limited number of special relief flights to assist passengers stranded due to ongoing airspace restrictions in the region.

The airline said the emergency services will begin operating from Muscat in Oman and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, connecting stranded travellers to several major European cities. Flights from Muscat are scheduled to depart for London Heathrow, Berlin, Copenhagen, Madrid, Rome and Amsterdam, while an additional service will operate from Riyadh to Frankfurt.

The move comes as commercial aviation across large parts of the Middle East remains severely affected following the escalation of tensions involving the United States and Israel on one side and Iran on the other. The conflict, which has involved missile and drone attacks, has raised serious safety concerns for aircraft operating in the region.

Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority has kept the country’s airspace closed since Saturday, forcing airlines to suspend or reroute many services. Qatar Airways said it will provide further updates regarding operations on Friday.

The crisis has triggered widespread disruption across international aviation networks. Airlines including Emirates and Etihad Airways have halted regular flights to several destinations, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports across the region. Industry estimates suggest that more than 23,000 scheduled flights have been cancelled since the conflict intensified.

Major aviation hubs in the Middle East, including Dubai International Airport—one of the busiest in the world for international travel—have been significantly impacted. Many aircraft belonging to regional carriers are currently grounded or stranded at overseas locations such as China and Australia, complicating efforts to restore normal flight operations.

In the meantime, Oman and Saudi Arabia have emerged as key transit points for evacuation efforts, as their airports continue to handle limited flight activity. Several governments, including those of Germany, the United Kingdom and Italy, have dispatched aircraft to help evacuate their citizens from the region.

Qatar Airways has urged travellers to avoid heading to airports unless they have received direct confirmation regarding their specific relief flight. While some evacuation operations have already been carried out by airlines such as Emirates, regular commercial services across much of the Middle East remain suspended for the time being.

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