Travel chaos after all flights to Middle East suspended, including Qatar stopovers
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here BREAKING Iran launches missile attack on US base in Qatar Flights heading to the Middle East have been diverted or cancelled, causing travel chaos for Australians trying to head to the region for a holiday or stopovers to Europe. Qatar's airspace was closed after attacks on a US air base in the country at 2.45am (AEST), diverting flights from dozens of airlines, including Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad and FlyDubai. Qatar Airways has suspended all its flights, including those headed to European tourist destinations from Australia. Qatar Airways has suspended all its flights, including those headed to European tourist hotspots from Australia. (Flight Radar) Five flights headed to Doha from Australia have been impacted. Two Virgin flights operated by Qatar and three Qatar Airways flights from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth have been diverted. The flights are landing in other countries, including India and Singapore. Qatar Airways confirmed that its flights had been temporarily suspended due to the closure of its airspace. Three flights from Australia have already been impacted. "The airline is working closely with government stakeholders and the relevant authorities to support impacted passengers, and will resume operations when the airspace reopens," a spokesperson for the airline said. Qatar Airways confirmed that its flights had been temporarily suspended due to the closure of its airspace. (Qatar Airways) "Once usual operations resume, we anticipate significant delays to our flight schedule." The airline also said it had rescheduled flights for the next few weeks, with some departure times moved to earlier in the day. Air traffic controllers have managed to carve out a safe entry into Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. 9News understands a pilot told passengers that the situation in the region was "very volatile". CONTACT US
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