Qantas, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways’ refund message to affected customers

A live image of the airspace over Qatar shows travel is mostly back to normal but yesterday’s closure caused chaos as airlines reveal refund stance.

Some of the world’s biggest airlines were forced to cancel or reduce flights in and out of Qatar’s airspace on Tuesday.

The State of Qatar made the decision after Iran fired missiles at the United States’ Al Udeid air base in Qatar amid the Iran-Israel conflict.

While the closure only lasted a few hours, it caused a considerable backlog of disruption at Doha Hamad International Airport – considered one of the world’s top 10 busiest airports based on international traffic with around 140,000 passengers passing through per day.

The Qatar airspace yesterday when it was closed for several hours. An Emirates flight can be seen turning back after the country closed the airspace amid Iran’s retaliatory strikes. Picture: Flightradar24

The airspace today as most operations resume. Picture: Flightradar24

Major airlines such as Qantas, Emirates, Virgin Australia, Etihad, British Airways and Singapore Airlines were impacted.

One of the heaviest hit was Qatar Airways — it runs a huge global operation out of the Doha airport, connecting more than 170 destinations around the world.

Qatar Airways flight disruptions/refunds

Qatar Airways warns of possible disruptions until June 26. Picture: iStock

Qatar Airways said following the temporary closure of Qatari airspace on June 23, it is now making progress in restoring its schedule with warnings of possible disruptions until June 26 (Thursday).

“Those who wish to change their travel dates may do so without paying a fee until July 15, 2025,” it said in a recent statement.

“Customers who no longer wish to travel can opt to receive a refund of the unused value of their tickets, without any cancellation fee being applied.”

The airline advised all passengers travelling to check qatarairways.com or the Qatar Airways app for updated flight information.

Meanwhile, the Middle Eastern carrier has temporarily cancelled flights to Iran, Iraq and Syria due to the current situation in the region.

“Qatar Airways fully complies with international aviation regulations for safe aircraft routes. Passengers safety remains our highest priority,” a statement read.

Qantas refunds

Qantas to offer refunds who booked flights operated by Emirates to, from, or via Dubai. Picture: Saeed Khan/AFP

Qantas said it is offering additional flexibility to passengers who have booked a flight through Qantas to, from or via Dubai, that is operated by Emirates, for travel up to June 27, 2025.

“If you wish to change your booking or no longer wish to travel, we’re offering a fee-free refund, Flight Credit or fee-free date change for flights booked before June 23 for travel to June 27, 2025,” a statement on Tuesday read.

“If you’ve booked directly with Qantas, contact us on 13 13 13 within Australia, or contact your local Qantas office if you’re outside of Australia, for assistance.

“If you’ve booked through a Travel Agent, please contact your agent directly for assistance.”

Qantas said it is continuing to closely monitoring the situation in the Middle East with services between Australia and Europe that were scheduled to depart on June 24 having operated as planned.

The airline’s Perth-Paris flight on Tuesday, however, had to turn back to Perth, while its Perth-London service was diverted to Singapore – all 199 passengers and 14 crew were accommodated overnight in Singapore.

Emirates update

Emirates rerouted a number of flights, adding others may incur delays and has offered to rebook and refund passengers. Picture: Emirates

Emirates issued a statement on Tuesday it had rerouted a number of flights en route to its base in Dubai on June 23, but there were no diversions.

“After a thorough and careful risk assessment, Emirates will continue to operate flights as scheduled, using flight paths well distanced from conflict areas,” it said in a statement.

“Some flights may incur delays due to longer re‑routings or airspace congestion, but Emirates’ teams are working hard to keep to schedule and minimise any disruption or inconvenience to our customers.”

It apologised to affected customers and advised the airline is working to assist passengers with rebooking, refunds, or alternative travel arrangements.

“Emirates will continue to actively monitor the situation, engage with relevant stakeholders, and adjust our operations in line with the latest updates,” the statement read.

“We adhere to all regulatory requirements for our operations, and follow bulletins issued by the aviation authorities.”

Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia, which has a ‘wet lease’ with Qatar Airlines, said scheduled services to and from Doha, operated by Qatar Airways, are expected to operate today (June 25) for all booked guests.

This includes those transiting through Doha and guests travelling to Doha as a final destination.

“We encourage guests scheduled to travel on Virgin Australia services between Australia and Doha in the coming days to monitor their flight information closely,” a statement read.

“We are offering free booking changes or cancellations to guests who are booked on Virgin Australia’s Doha services with onward connections in the coming days (up to and including 30 June 2025) and no longer wish to travel.

“For more information, guests can contact the Virgin Australia Guest Contact Centre on 13 67 89 (within Australia) or [phone] (if calling from outside of Australia).”

On June 23, two services had been impacted - VA1 (Sydney–Doha) which diverted to Bengaluru and VA15 (Brisbane–Doha) which diverted to Muscat.

News.com.au understands the airline is proactively communicating with impacted guests.

British Airways flight suspensions

British Airways has suspended all flights between London Heathrow and Doha until June 25. Picture: Adrian Dennis/AFP

British Airways has suspended all flights between London Heathrow and Doha until June 25 (Wednesday), citing safety as their “highest priority”.

The airline confirmed all services scheduled to depart Heathrow between June 23 and 25 – and their return flights – have been cancelled following “latest developments” in the region.

While flights to Dubai continue to operate normally, British Airways is offering flexible rebooking options for affected passengers.

Customers booked on flights to either Dubai or Doha until June 29 can change their travel dates free of charge to any flight up until July 13.

The airline says its teams “continue to keep the situation under review” but has not specified the exact nature of the safety concerns.

Singapore Airlines cancels eight flights

Singapore Airlines has cancelled eight flights until June 25 – it has also offered refunds. Picture: Alamy

Singapore Airlines (SIA) cancelled eight flights to Dubai – two per day from Sunday through to June 25.

The airline said it will be contacting all affected customers to inform them about the flight cancellations.

“Customers affected by the flight cancellations will be re-accommodated on alternative flights or can seek a full refund of the unused portion of their ticket,” a statement read.

“SIA customers who booked directly with us may use our Assistance Request Form to seek the refund. For bookings made through travel agents or partner airlines, customers are advised to contact their travel agent or purchasing airline directly for assistance.”

The airline said as the situation remains fluid, other SIA flights between Singapore and Dubai may be affected.

“Customers may visit our Flight Status page for the latest information on their flights.”

Etihad flights continue to operate, but not to Tel Aviv

Etihad continues to operate as normal. Picture: Getty Images

Etihad said flights are operating as scheduled but warned it has suspended all flights between Abu Dhabi (AUH) and Tel Aviv (TLV) until and including July 15.

“Guests transiting through Abu Dhabi to connect to cancelled flights will not be accepted for travel from their point of origin,” the statement read.

“Impacted guests are being assisted with alternative travel arrangements.

“This remains a highly dynamic situation, and further changes or disruption, including sudden airspace closures or operational impact, may occur at short notice. Etihad continues to monitor developments closely in co-ordination with the relevant authorities and is taking all necessary precautions.”

‘Don't cancel flights’

The Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) – the country’s peak industry body – has advised Australian travellers to remain informed about the situation in the Middle East and, “most importantly, not to cancel their flights”.

“The one thing we learned through Covid is don’t cancel as it reduces the number of rights you have. Let the airline make that decision. This approach ensures your rights are protected and you get the support you need,” ATIA CEO Dean Long said.

“This evolving situation is understandably causing increasing anxiety, especially for travellers transiting through the Middle East,” he said.

“The most important thing Australians can do right now is not cancel their flight independently.

“If your airline cancels the flight, you are entitled to a full refund or rebooking. But if you cancel yourself, you could lose those rights entirely.”

He said this applies across most airlines under Australian Consumer Law, although terms may vary based on your ticket and carrier.

Mr Long added there are robust, methodical systems in place to manage these disruptions.

“It’s critical that you don’t make the decision to cancel without first speaking to your agent or airline,” he told news.com.au.

“Please be patient and wait to be contacted especially if you’re not travelling in the next couple of days as there’s a tremendous amount of work to be done helping those immediately impacted.”