Mideast airlines suspends flights to Qatar following Gulf’s diplomatic crisis
June 06, 2017-Doha
The majority of the airlines from U.A.E, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain has scheduled to suspend their flight to Doha from today. Emirates, Etihad, Flydubai and Air Arabia have declared that their entire flights to and from the Qatari capital Doha will end from today, June 6, as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain move to cut off all transportation links with Qatar. The last Abu Dhabi-Doha flight – EY399 – departed at 02:45 am local time today, and the last Doha-Abu Dhabi flight departed at 04:00 am.
The flights were operated normally till yesterday. Entire customers with pre-booked tickets of Etihad Airways flights to and from Doha are being provided with alternative options, i.e. with either full refunds on unused tickets or free re-booking to the nearest alternate Etihad Airways destinations options, reported a representative of Etihad. Similarly, a spokesperson of Emirates noted that “As been directed by U.A.E government, Emirates too will suspend its flights to and from Doha.” The last flight from Dubai to Doha – EK847 – took off at 02:30 am and the last Doha-Dubai flight took off at 3:50 am for Emirates.
The airlines have also requested the passengers boarding flights across the Emirates network to make alternative arrangements. Likewise, Qatar Airways, the flag carrier of Qatar, will be severely impacted on its key regional routes including Dubai. The carriers from U.A.E, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Bahrain too will deficit from the cancellation. The airlines’ authorities have expressed their apology to the affected passengers and have also requested the passengers to follow up the news updates for further details. They also noted that they were compelled to take the action that has been ordered by the government due to current unfavorable diplomatic relation amongst the Gulf nations.
Meanwhile, the transport ban on Doha by the Gulf neighboring will not be affecting the Nepali passengers reported the country director of Qatar Airways for Nepal. The passengers flying directly to Doha, capital will not be hampered by the ban, he added. Currently, Qatar Airways jointly with Nepal Airlines and Himalaya Airlines conducts twenty-seven flights weekly to Doha from Kathmandu. The flight carriers deliver Nepali labor workers to Qatar in heavy numbers. Though passengers from Nepal won’t be troubled. But the airlines have started refunding the entire pre-booked tickets from other destinations either due to ban implemented by the nation or due to restricted traffic routes.
