Qantas has rerouted two long-haul international flights due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East and the closure of the airspace in Qatar.
Flight QF33, which had departed Perth for Paris, was forced to turn back mid-journey and return to Perth after Iran launched missiles at a US base in Qatar.
Meanwhile, a QF9 flight from Perth to London was diverted to Singapore while flying over Sri Lanka.
‘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 Qantas spokeswoman said.
‘Once usual operations resume, we anticipate significant delays to our flight schedule.
‘We have also deployed additional ground staff at Hamad International Airport and other key airports to assist affected passengers.’
The airline’s QF1 and QF2 Sydney-Singapore-London return services are operating as scheduled at this stage.
The news prompted Foreign Affairs minister Penny Wong to warn Aussie travellers that closure to airspace around transit hubs in the Middle East could impact flights globally.
Two Qantas flights have been diverted due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East (stock image)
Hundreds of flights have been diverted following the closure of the airspace in Qatar
‘Australians travelling should seek updates from their airlines and follow @Smartraveller,’ Wong said.
‘We do not want to see further escalation. A full-scale war in the Middle East would be devastating for the people of the region and the world.
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways has announced ‘temporary suspension’ of its services due to the shutdown of air traffic operations within Qatar.
‘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 statement read.
‘Once usual operations resume, we anticipate significant delays to our flight schedule.
‘The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority.’
The decision has already impacted two Virgin Australia services mid-flight to Doha.
The airline has a ‘wet lease’ with Qatar Airways.
‘Two services operated by Qatar Airways for Virgin Australia have been diverted on the way to Doha following the temporary closure of Qatar airspace,’ a Virgin Australia spokesperson said.
Escalating tensions in Iran and Israel have caused disruptions and delays from travellers
Two Virgin Australia services mid-flight to Doha have also been diverted. Pictured are recent travellers at Sydney Airport
‘VA1 (Sydney–Doha) diverted to Bengaluru and VA15 (Brisbane–Doha) diverted to Muscat. Both aircraft landed safely.
‘Guest recovery is being coordinated by Qatar Airways, including support on the ground and assistance with onward travel arrangements.’
The disruption comes just days after Virgin Australia reintroduced international long-haul flights with the launch of Sydney-Doha and Brisbane-Doha services in partnership with Qatar Airways.
An urgent travel warning has been issued for Australians travelling to or transiting through Qatar, a major international hub used for connecting flights worldwide.
The Australian Government’s Smartraveller service, managed by DFAT, issued an overnight alert advising travellers to Qatar, including those transiting through Doha, to exercise a high degree of caution.
‘We’ve raised our level of advice for Qatar. We now advise ‘exercise a high degree of caution’ due to ongoing hostilities in the region,’ the alert read.
‘Conflicts in the Middle East could lead to an increase in tensions elsewhere in the region and may result in airspace closures, flight cancellations and other travel disruptions.
‘Demonstrations and protest activity may also occur, and local security situations could deteriorate with little notice. Avoid all demonstrations and protests.’
Experts have urged travellers to take note of the advice from authorities.
Finder insurance expert Tim Bennett warned that travel insurance premiums will soar for trips via the Middle East.
Qantas anticipated significant delays to its flight schedule (stock image)
He urged impacted travellers to read their policy documents.
‘Travel insurance companies base their premiums on the risk of your trip, and a higher Smartraveller alert level is a good indicator of an increase in risk,’ Mr Bennett told news.com.au.
‘Some insurers may introduce exclusions for claims you can make if you take out cover after the alert level has changed, but you’ll generally still be covered for most things.’
A country can close its airspace at any time and take effect immediately.
‘That might be the entire airspace of the country or it might just be a certain part of the airspace where they want to do something like fire missiles into the sky or conduct some operation where they don’t want civilian aircraft flying through the airspace,’ Australian aviation expert Keith Tonkin said.
‘We now have several different airspace volumes not available to fly through at the moment because of the war in Ukraine, what’s happening in the Middle East, and Pakistan-India – a lot of aeroplanes are getting condensed into less airspace.’
Aussies heading to Europe via the Middle East should expect delays but shouldn’t panic or cancel unnecessarily.
