Qatar Airways said it’s starting a limited number of relief flights today to help passengers stranded in the Middle East get out, as commercial services remain suspended due to the closed airspace.
Flights include services from Muscat in Oman to London Heathrow, Berlin, Copenhagen, Madrid, Rome, and Amsterdam, as well as from Riyadh to Frankfurt, Qatar said in a statement. The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority has kept the airspace closed since Saturday, and the airline said it would provide another update on Friday.
Airlines in the region, including Emirates and Etihad Airways, have seen their regular services suspended since Saturday, when the conflict between the US and Israel against Iran erupted, as missiles and drones risk safe passage of aircraft. The disruption has led to tens of thousands of people stuck in the region, and prompted the cancellation of more than 23,000 scheduled flights.
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The Middle East is normally among the most frequented flight paths and home to world’s busiest airport in Dubai, as well as the biggest international airline, Emirates. Now the airlines’ jets are set on the ground, often out of position in far-flung places like China and Australia.
Oman has emerged as a haven for evacuation alongside Saudi Arabia, as flights from both countries remain operational. Countries including Germany, the UK and Italy have begun sending planes to these destinations to start bringing their citizens back home.
Emirates has already conducted some evacuation flights over the past days, though its regular service remains suspended. Qatar cautioned that passengers should not head to the evacuation airports unless notified by the airline for the flights being offered.