Middle East travellers land at Adelaide Airport amid global flight chaos

Several flights between Adelaide and Doha have been cancelled, amid conflict in the Middle East.

An Adelaide Airport spokesperson said a Qatar Airlines flight from Doha landed in Adelaide just after 6.30am this morning as normal

Several flights between Adelaide and Doha have been cancelled, amid global flight chaos in the wake of Iran’s strike on a US base in Qatar.

Qatar Airways flight QR914 from Doha, due to arrive in Adelaide on Tuesday afternoon, was cancelled, as was QR915, which was set to depart Adelaide for the Qatari capital late on Tuesday night.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, travellers from Doha landed at Adelaide Airport from Doha but several flights from Australia were diverted amid the conflict in the Middle East.

The State of Qatar reopened its airspace on Tuesday and Dubai Airports said it had since resumed operations.

An Adelaide Airport spokesperson said a Qatar Airlines flight from Doha landed in Adelaide just after 6.30am this morning as normal. Picture: Campbell Brodie.

An Adelaide Airport spokesperson said a Qatar Airlines flight from Doha landed in Adelaide just after 6.30am this morning as normal.

The spokesperson said the airport was preparing for an “knock-on effects” from the international flight delays and cancellations.

A Welsh traveller, who landed in Adelaide from Doha on Tuesday morning, told ABC radio the Doha airport was busy with confusion after the news bombs were going to hit the American air base.

“It was scary, I looked it up on a map, it’s not far from the airport,” he said.

“I was talking to a hostess on the plane and she was telling me she was worried about her car, it was in Doha.”

The closure of Qatari airspace forced dozens of carriers, including Qantas, to divert their flights to safer airports in Cairo, India and Belgium.

Qatar Airways temporarily suspended its services in the wake of the attack, with two of its codeshare flights with new partner Virgin Australia, diverted on the way to Doha.

Flight VA1 (Sydney–Doha) was diverted to Bengaluru and VA15 (Brisbane–Doha) diverted to Muscat.

The flight from Sydney to Doha was forced to perform a U-turn halfway through the flight, before landing in Bengaluru in India, both aircraft however had landed safely.

Qantas’ Perth-Paris flight turned back to Perth, while the airline’s Perth-London diverted to Singapore.

Image from Flightradar showing air traffic avoiding Iranian and Israeli airspace due to ongoing conflicts. Picture: Flightradar

ARE AUSTRALIAN FLIGHTS INTO DUBAI AND DOHA CANCELLED?

The United Arab Emirates and Qatar closed their airspaces temporarily overnight but as of 7.45am AEST, services out of both Doha and Dubai had resumed.

Qatar’s national carrier flagged potential cancellations and delays for their services as a result, urging travellers to check “qatarairways.com or the Qatar Airways mobile application ahead of travel”.

Airspaces over Iran, Israel, Iraq and Jordan remain closed for commercial travel, with airlines rerouting their flights across Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU HAVE ALREADY BOOKED YOUR TRAVEL

The Australian Travel Industry Association is advising holiday-makers to avoid cancelling their flights in light of escalating tensions in the middle east.

“Airspace closures over Iran, Israel and Russia have significantly narrowed flight corridors into Europe, with delays and route diversions common particularly for passengers transiting through Middle Eastern hubs such as Doha and Dubai” the ATIA said.

However the ATIA’s chief executive Dean Long said travellers shouldn’t panic or cancel unnecessarily.

“Australians flying to Europe via the Middle East should be prepared for some delays, but it’s important to know that global airlines have systems in place to manage these disruptions,” he said.

“We’ve seen this before, and the travel ecosystem is built to respond.”

WHICH AIRLINES ARE AFFECTED?

Emirates: The UAE has closed its airspace but have since resumed. Additionally, flights in and out of Jordan, Lebanon, Iran and Iraq have been suspended until at least June 30.

Qatar Airways: The airline temporarily suspended all flights but they have now resumed.

United Airlines: Travel into Tel Aviv is cancelled until at least August 1, while flights into Dubai have been suspended.

Etihad Airways: Flights between Abu Dhabi and Amman have been cancelled until June 20, and flights into Tel Aviv were cancelled until June 30.

– with Newswire

Originally published as Middle East travellers land at Adelaide Airport amid global flight chaos