Gulf carriers including Etihad Airways, Emirates and Gulf Air have suspended all flights to and from Doha, following the decision by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the UAE, the Maldives and Yemen to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, over alleged support for Islamist terrorist groups.
In a statement Etihad said:
“From the morning of June 6, 2017, Etihad Airways will suspend all flights to and from Doha until further notice.
“The last flight from Abu Dhabi to Doha will depart as EY399 at 0245 (local time) on June 6.
“The last flight from Doha to Abu Dhabi will depart as EY390 at 0400 (local time) on June 6.
“Flights on June 5 will operate as normal.
“All customers who are booked on Etihad Airways flights to and from Doha are being provided with alternative options, including full refunds on unused tickets and free rebooking to the nearest alternate Etihad Airways destinations.
The airline added that “Any further changes to the status of flight schedules to Doha will be communicated through the appropriate channels”.
From 6 Jun, we will suspend all flights to and from Doha until further notice. For more info visit: https://t.co/4WHx54xHR0
— Etihad Airways (@EtihadAirways) June 5, 2017
A similar statement by Emirates reads:
“As instructed by the UAE government, Emirates will suspend its flights to and from Doha, starting from the morning of 6 June 6, 2017, until further notice.
“The last flight from Dubai to Doha will depart as EK847 at 0230 on June 6. The last flight from Doha to Dubai will depart as EK848 at 0350 on June 6.
“Emirates’ flights to and from Doha today (June 5), will operate as normal. Travellers bound for Doha, who are boarding their flight from airports around the Emirates network today (June 5), will be advised to make alternative arrangements.”
From 6 June, Emirates is suspending flights to and from Doha. Affected customers should visit https://t.co/p9w3QNe00D for more information.
— Emirates Airline (@emirates) June 5, 2017
And Gulf Air has confirmed:
“Gulf Air, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s national carrier, today announced the suspension of its multiple daily service between Bahrain and Doha with effect from 2359, June 5, 2017 – local Bahrain time – and until further notice.
“The last Gulf Air flight from Bahrain to Doha (GF530) will depart at 2055 on June 5 and the last Gulf Air flight from Doha to Bahrain (GF531) will depart at 2240 on June 5 (all times local).”
Gulf Air Suspends Flights to/from Qatarhttps://t.co/08dCPQenYk pic.twitter.com/t8Vqg4MmSp
— Gulf Air (@GulfAir) June 5, 2017
Flydubai and Air Arabia have also confirmed the suspension of their services to the Qatari capital.
Starting June 6, Air Arabia flights between Sharjah, RAK & Doha will be suspended until further notice. For info: https://t.co/EpIshm2qpk
— Air Arabia (@airarabiagroup) June 5, 2017
From Tuesday 06 June 2017 all flydubai flights between Dubai and Doha will be suspended until further notice.Today (05…
Posted by flydubai on Monday, 5 June 2017
In response, Qatar Airways has suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain until further notice.
[embed]https://twitter.com/qatarairways/status/871706196973166592[/embed]The news is also being discussed on our forum here.
According to a BBC report the four Arab countries of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the UAE have accused Qatar of “destabilising the region” through its support for terrorist groups including IS and al-Qaeda, a claim denied by Doha.
⚡️ “Qatar diplomatic crisis: How the events unfolded”https://t.co/66jPFozCOw
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) June 5, 2017
