Qatar Airways has said that it will begin operating a limited number of relief flights from Muscat and Riyadh on Thursday 5 March to help passengers left stranded due to the ongoing US-Israel and Iran conflict.
The country’s airspace remains closed, with the next update on resumption of operations due at 9 am local time (7 am CET) on Friday 6 March.
Qatar’s flag carrier will be reaching out to passengers directly about these flights, and you should not travel to the airport without being notified.
Flights set to depart from Oman’s capital Muscat, which is around a 10-hour drive from Doha, will be heading to destinations including London Heathrow, Berlin, Copenhagen, Madrid, Rome and Amsterdam.
Qatar Airways will also operate flights from Riyadh to Frankfurt. Saudi Arabia’s capital is around a seven-hour drive away from Doha.
The airline has urged customers to ensure their contact details are up to date on the QA website and app so it can reach out with flight information and instructions when the time comes.
British Airways has also begun operating special flights out of Muscat for customers with an existing booking who are in the UAE or Oman. Flights due to depart on 5, 6 and 7 March are now fully booked.
Exceptional flights in the UAE
The UAE began operating exceptional flights in the afternoon of 2 March to help stranded passengers.
Around 17,500 people left the country on 60 special flights between 2 and 3 March, the UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority has said.
Much like in Qatar, airlines are contacting passengers directly about being booked onto these flights.
Etihad Airways has said regular scheduled flights remain suspended until 6 am local time (3 am CET) on 6 March, while Emirates has extended its suspension until 11:59 pm local time (8:59 pm CET) on 7 March.
Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic resumed its scheduled flights between Dubai and London Heathrow, with the first flight taking off on 4 March.
Other airlines that have resumed some flights include flydubai, Air India and Russia’s S7 Airlines.
Read the full article here
