Qatar temporarily closes airspace amid rising tensions in Middle East
The move comes after US forces struck three nuclear sites in Iran, prompting Tehran to launch a barrage of retaliatory ballistic missiles against Israel.
In a statement posted to social media on Monday, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said: 'Qatari authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country's airspace, in order to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors.'
Qatar Airways has been contacted for comment on the impact to its operations.
Airlines are reviewing routes across the region, with some services rerouted or diverted mid-air.
It comes just hours after the Foreign Office advised British nationals in Qatar to 'shelter in place' following a US security alert.
The UK Foreign Office is advising against all travel to Iran and urges British nationals in the region to follow local guidance.
It has also updated its travel advice for Qatar, warning British nationals to shelter in place 'out of an abundance of caution' following a US security alert in the country.
In updated guidance, it said: 'Following a US security alert for US nationals in Qatar, out of an abundance of caution, we recommend that British nationals in Qatar shelter in place until further notice.
'Follow instructions from local authorities.
'The FCDO is in contact with local authorities and international partners, and will provide further updates as the situation develops.'
Qatar is home to Al Udeid airbase, the largest US military installation in the Middle East, where around 8,000 American personnel are based, according to the US State Department.
The base also hosts British forces. No. 83 Expeditionary Air Group, part of the Royal Air Force, is headquartered at Al Udeid and leads UK air operations in the region.
On Monday, flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 showed a Qatar Airways service from Gatwick to Doha make a sharp diversion shortly before entering Qatari airspace.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
20 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Iranian strikes on Qatar disrupt flights for thousands
Thousands of airline passengers had their journeys disrupted by Iran's missile strikes against Qatar. Almost 100 flights to destinations across the Middle East were diverted because of the Iranian attack on a US military base in Qatar on Monday afternoon. While an 'eerie calm' took hold at the main airport in the Qatari capital of Doha as the skies were closed to all civilian flights, thousands of others were finding themselves scattered across a variety of safe havens. At least seven Qatar Airways flights from the UK to Doha – having left from airports including Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh – were diverted in-flight as a result of the missile attacks. One, from Edinburgh to Doha, was diverted to Istanbul. Another ended up in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, while a third from Heathrow turned back over Italy. Other airlines were also severely affected, with flight-tracking website AirNav Radar estimating that 91 international flights scheduled to pass through Qatari airspace had been diverted. Meanwhile, a large number of people were marooned in Doha as a result of the country's authorities closing its skies to scheduled flights. One passenger, who identified himself only as Jai, said there was an 'eerie calm' at the Qatari airport as the Iranian attack took place. 'Nothing being advised' He said: 'No communication other than travellers discussing amongst each other. Nothing being advised to travellers by airlines. Boards still reading as 'Go to gate' and 'Now boarding' despite not being the case. 'Workers say that things are chaotic outside of the airport.' Travellers were urged to check before attempting to head to Middle Eastern destinations, or boarding flights that pass over the region. Julia Lo-Bue Said, the chief executive of the Advantage Travel Partnership association of travel agents, said: 'This is an evolving and fast-moving situation, and we recognise that it is likely to cause some consumer anxiety surrounding travelling to the region and for those already there. 'Travellers who have booked trips to the Middle East through a travel agent should get in touch also with the agent and airline, who will be best placed to offer the latest up-to-date guidance.' Advice for travellers from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, last updated on Monday morning before the strikes, said: 'There is a possibility of travel disruption, including short-notice airspace closures, delayed and cancelled flights and other unanticipated travel impacts.'
Evening Standard
21 minutes ago
- Evening Standard
Flights resuming in Qatar as airspace reopens amid Middle East conflict
Flights coming in and out of the state were grounded to 'ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors', the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced in the afternoon.
Glasgow Times
31 minutes ago
- Glasgow Times
Labour MP warns proscribing Palestine Action would be ‘kneejerk reaction'
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has unveiled plans to proscribe the organisation, which armed forces minister Luke Pollard described as 'not a protest group'. Counter-terror police are investigating the break-in last Friday, when activists damaged two RAF Voyager aircraft using paint. Palestine Action claimed responsibility for the incident, and the organisation posted footage from the Oxfordshire base on its X account, claiming that the planes help to 'collect intelligence, refuel fighter jets and transport weapons to commit genocide in Gaza'. Labour MP for Liverpool Riverside Kim Johnson told the Commons that she was 'concerned by the Government's kneejerk reaction to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation'. She told MPs: 'This country has a long history of protests, as I mentioned in this chamber last week, some on British military sites, and none have been branded as terrorists.' Ms Johnson added that authorities could pursue those responsible for 'criminal damage, but not as a terrorist', and asked: 'Can the minister set out what steps his department will take to ensure peaceful protest activity is not wrongly categorised as a national security threat?' Mr Pollard replied: 'The proscription of Palestine Action has been something that has been considered over a long period of time by my colleagues in the Home Office. 'It is a decision that they have taken after considering the facts, those in the public domain and those perhaps held privately, and we are certain that this is the right course of action to keep our country safe in these difficult times.' Liz Saville Roberts, Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader, said: 'Direct action at military bases is nothing new. We remember with respect the women who marched from Wales to Greenham Common, and the thousands of women who joined them. 'They didn't just march, they pulled down fences. They criminally damaged infrastructure. Protesters tugging at the fence at RAF Greenham Common in 1983 (PA Archive) 'So, does the minister recognise the risk implicit in proscribing protest groups calling out war as terrorist organisations?' Ms Saville Roberts was referring to a demonstration between 1981 and 2000, when anti-nuclear weapons protesters set up the Greenham Common Women's Peace Camp. Mr Pollard replied: 'They're not a protest group. They are people that have undertaken severe criminal damage to military assets. They're people who are increasingly using violence as part of their modus operandi. 'The decision that the Home Secretary has taken has not been taken lightly and reflects the seriousness of the intent of that organisation. 'I welcome free speech, I welcome debate and challenge, but vandalising RAF jets is not free speech – that is criminal damage, that is interventions on a military base, that is – as I say in my statement – not only epically stupid but also a threat to our national security and the Home Secretary was right to proscribe them.' In his statement, Mr Pollard had earlier told MPs that personnel at Brize Norton 'work tirelessly to support our armed forces deployed across the world to deliver military assistance to Ukraine, and they have been formally recognised for their contribution in flying humanitarian aid into Gaza, so this action does nothing to further the path to peace'. Sir Julian Lewis, the Conservative MP for New Forest East, warned that 'it would do the country and the Government no favours if they were to lose in court a challenge to the process of proscription, because whereas the secret sabotage of planes would certainly have been an act of terrorism leading to proscription, the fact is, this was a performative act which they announced they had done'. MPs will have a 'full debate' in Parliament as part of the proscription process, Mr Pollard pledged in response, as he said the bid to proscribe Palestine Action was put together after 'considerable thought'. MPs also heard that the 'fence is not formidable' at Brize Norton, after Liberal Democrat MP for Witney Charlie Maynard told the Commons that 'security at the base has been really underinvested for a long time'. Mr Maynard said he had walked around the base's perimeter in his constituency 'quite a few times'. Mr Pollard said the Government's response had already 'helped identify a number of immediate steps' to bolster security at the site. The minister added: 'He is right that much of our armed forces estate and our armed forces have been hollowed out and underfunded for far too long. 'It's precisely for that reason that I welcome the increase in defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by April 2027. 'Our armed forces are brilliant but it's time they had first-class facilities.'
