13 hours ago
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Scots couple stuck at Edinburgh Airport over Israel-Iran conflict
Stewart and Deborah Allan were set to head home to Australia, only to discover that their connecting flight, Qatar Airways Flight QR030 to Doha, had been cancelled due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran.
Their flight, originally scheduled to depart Edinburgh at 15.10 PM, has now been rescheduled for 8 AM on Thursday, which means the couple will not arrive home in Perth until late on Friday evening.
Qatari airspace was closed yesterday after Iran fired missiles at a US military base.
Stewart told The Herald: 'We went to the airport this morning, and there was no indication that anything was wrong. We found out it was cancelled when we went to the check-in desk.
'We had already left the house and hired a car. Now we aren't flying back to the 26th in the early morning, and we have a eight hour stopover in Doha. I'm going to have to tell my boss I won't be able to work this week.
'If the situation in Qatar is a war zone, why do we have a stopover there?'
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Stewart, who was visiting family in Dunfermline, added: 'I'm not happy. I booked these seats months ago in good faith. Tickets from Australia this time of year are not cheap. I paid $2700 AUD for them, plus extra for legroom.
'They didn't even offer us a hotel. They're clearly using the crisis to get out of the situation. It's typical of airlines.'
A spokesperson for Qatar Airways said: "Our teams are working with focus and care to support passengers following the re-opening of airspace in the State of Qatar.
"We are in the process of restoring our global network of more than 170 destinations and are assisting all affected passengers with rebooking and support as quickly as possible.
"As we manage the resumption of operations, we continue to respond in real time to operational developments, with additional staff deployed at Doha Hamad International Airport and key locations across our network to provide on-the-ground assistance.
Qatar Airways flights have been disrupted. The spokesperson added: "We thank our passengers for their patience, understanding, and continued trust as we work to ensure you reach your destination with minimal further disruption, as well as our partners for their support.
"For the latest flight information, please check your flight status at or via the Qatar Airways app."
