Travellers face further flight cancellations as pains continue amid Middle East conflict

Travellers bound for South Australia have been left stranded overseas, with one local influencer recounting the 15 chaotic hours she spent in Doha Airport after her plane was forced to re-route.

Qatar Airways flight QR988 from Doha to Adelaide was due to land at 6.40am on Wednesday but was cancelled, with the 11:40am QR989 Adelaide to Melbourne service shelved. Picture Campbell Brodie.

International travellers have continued to face difficulties with flights in and out of Adelaide cancelled on Wednesday and an Adelaide food influencer caught up in flight chaos following Iran’s airstrikes on a US military base in Qatar.

Amanda Maiorana was on board her Qatar Airlines flight from Doha to Greece when the aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing in Goa.

After two hours on the tarmac, the plane eventually flew back to Doha where Ms Maiorana faced a gruelling 15 hours in line trying to rebook an alternative flight.

“When the air strikes happened, we had no idea as there were no announcements on the plane besides from the TV maps suddenly showing that we were turning around and heading to India,” she said.

“It was all very hush hush.”

Despite the horror start to their holiday, she said passengers were relatively calm during the chaotic scenes.

“It did get a little heated at the 12-hour mark with people yelling at those who’d push in but overall was okay.”

Adelaide food influencer, Amanda Maiorana was stranded in Doha for 15 hours following Iran’s air strikes on US military base. Picture: Instagram @madeby.mandy

Amanda Maiorana is known for her food content. Picture: Instagram @madeby.mandy

Back in South Australia, an overnight flight from the Middle East set to land in Adelaide this morning was cancelled while a Qatar Airways flight from SA has also been canned on Wednesday.

Qatar Airways flight QR988 from Doha to Adelaide was due to land at 6.40am on Wednesday but was cancelled, with the 11:40am QR989 Adelaide to Melbourne service shelved

It comes after Qatar Airways flight QR914 from Doha, due to arrive in Adelaide on Tuesday afternoon, was cancelled.

Earlier on Tuesday morning, travellers from Doha landed at Adelaide Airport from Doha with the State of Qatar reopening its airspace before more cancellations followed.

Flights in and out of Doha Airport – a regular destination for connecting flights to Europe – have been subject to cancellations in the wake of Iran’s strike on a US base in Qatar. Picture Campbell Brodie.

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.”

On Tuesday, an Adelaide Airport spokesman warned of “knock-on effects” from flight cancellations across the arrival and departure schedule.

Originally published as Travellers face further flight cancellations as pains continue amid Middle East conflict