International flights cancelled, diverted after Iran attacks US base

The Middle East conflict has prompted global flight cancellations and delays – including on many routes departing from Australia.

Global airlines were forced to suspend and divert flights over the Middle East as Iran launched a series of retaliatory strikes targeting the US’s Al Udeid base in Qatar overnight.

The strikes launched by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard saw missiles fired at the largest US-controlled air base in the region, leading to airspace closures in Dubai and Doha, the world’s two largest travel hubs.

WHICH FLIGHTS HAVE BEEN AFFECTED?

The closure of Qatari and United Arab Emirates airspace forced dozens of carriers, including Qantas, to divert their flights to safer airports in Cairo, India, Oman and Singapore.

A Qantas flight from Perth into Paris was turned back while over the Indian Ocean, while a London bound flight from Perth was redirected to Singapore where it will remain overnight.

“Due to airspace closures and congestion through the Middle East resulting in air traffic restrictions, QF9 (Perth-London) has been diverted to Singapore and QF33 (Perth-Paris) is returning to Perth,” a Qantas spokesman said.

“We continue to monitor airspace availability closely and will alter our schedule as required.

“We thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”

It is understood the failure of these flights will affect the return route from Paris to Perth QF34 due to a lack of aircraft on the ground.

Flights are avoiding Iran as the country launched missiles into US’ Al Udeid Airbase in Qatar. Picture: Flightradar

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.

“We are working closely with government stakeholders and the relevant authorities to support any passengers that have been impacted, and will resume operations when the airspace reopens,” the airline said in an online statement.

“The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority.”

The airline flagged significant delays and possible cancellations as a result of the airspace closures, confirming it had deployed additional staff at Hamad International Airport and other airports to assist affected passengers.

Flights in and out of Dubai International Airport were also temporarily suspended as the United Arab Emirates closed its airspace, but later resumed operations, the Dubai Media Office posted on X.

The closure forced Emirates to reroute a number of flights on route to Dubai, with the airline flagging potential delays due to “longer reroutings or airspace congestion”.

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

Passengers scheduled to travel on Virgin Australia flights between Australia and Doha are advised to closely monitor their flight information.

Doha is one of the major stopovers for Australians travelling to Europe, which is entering its summer season.

Flight VA1 from Sydney to Doha was forced to perform a U-turn and diverted to Bengaluru in India. Picture: Flightradar

One Australian who was planning to fly to Dublin on Tuesday told Today he saw “lights coming from the distance” as missiles hit the skies.

“And at first it sort of it felt like sort of dull fireworks there, with a bit of rumblings going off,” he said.

Melburnian Sophie Walter was stranded at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Tuesday after her connecting flight to London was cancelled mid-flight.

The 23-year-old is one of many Australians caught up in chaos after a series of retaliatory strikes launched by Iran at the United States’ Al Udeid air base in Qatar overnight forced global airlines to divert flights over the Middle East.

Following a gruelling 12.5 hour flight that departed Melbourne on Monday night, Ms Walter and other Aussie passengers were advised by Air India that their connecting flight from Delhi to London had been cancelled.

“Staff told us as soon as we landed that everything was cancelled, and we were asked to wait in the international transfer waiting area for further updates,” she told the Herald Sun.

“The airline had also sent out an email, but that had been sent when we were in the air during the 12 hour flight.”

The young stage manager was heading to London to work on a theatre show for a couple of months, however the closure of Qatari airspace could cause a lengthy delay to her trip.

“I’ve been at the airport for about three hours and passengers haven’t been updated yet so we have no idea whether we’ll be turned around or not,” she said.

“Everyone’s just patiently waiting, there’s not really anything for us to do.”

In a statement released early Tuesday morning, Air India said it had suspended all flights operating over Middle Eastern airspace.

“Amid the developing situation in the Middle East, Air India has ceased all operations to the region as well as to and from the East Coast of North America and Europe with immediate effect, until further notice,” an Air India spokesperson said.

Ms Walter said there were dozens of people around her sleeping on the floor of the Delhi airport, presumably awaiting a verdict from their respective airlines.

“Honestly, I’m more tired than anything else because I barely slept on the first flight, so I’m not overly anxious about it now,” she said.

“I’ve kind of already accepted that whatever is going to happen next is whatever is going to happen.”

WHY ARE FLIGHTS BEING REROUTED OR CANCELLED ENTIRELY?

Donald Trump’s decision to strike key Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday has raised tensions in the region, leading to Iranian retaliation against locally-positioned US assets.

Reports suggest Iran fired a total of 19 missiles targeting the US military operated Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar with only one successfully hitting the base.

Qatari authorities said the attack had been thwarted without casualties.

As a result Doha’s Hamad International Airport was closed for around eight hours before being reopened early on Tuesday morning, while the UAE confirmed it had briefly closed Dubai airspace.

The closure of the globe’s two largest travel hubs means it will likely take days to clear the backlog of flights and return to schedule.

Safe Airspace, an online conflict zone and risk database, prior to the attacks, said Iran had “shown willingness to use long-range, advanced anti-aircraft-capable weapons during heightened tensions and in proximity to heavily flown international air routes”.

Days before the strikes, American Airlines, United Airlines and Finnair had cancelled flights into Doha and Dubai, with British Airways and Singapore following suit after the fresh attacks.

The UK national carrier also suspended flights into Dubai and Doha.

The airspace diversion over Iran. Source: Flightradar 24

Singapore Airlines have now cancelled eight flights into Dubai “following a security assessment of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East”.

“As the situation remains fluid, other SIA flights between Singapore and Dubai may be affected,” the airline said.

IS IT SAFE TO TRAVEL IN DUBAI AND QATAR RIGHT NOW?

The latest update from the Department of Foreign Affair and Trade’s Smart Traveller website highlights how the deepening conflict in the Middle East could spill over to other parts of the world.

“Conflict in the Middle East could impact safety and security elsewhere. There is a risk of reprisal attacks and further escalation. Protests and civil unrest may happen globally,” their Monday update read.

“The risk of terrorist attacks can increase, particularly around: areas where foreign tourists gather, embassies; other foreign interests.”

The advice warns that flights around the world could be impacted, even if they’re not connected to the Middle East, with a warning that travellers should contact airlines to confirm their flights.

Foreign Minister, Penny Wong called for de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy. Picture: NewsWire / Martin Ollman

On Tuesday morning, Foreign Minister Penny Wong condemned Iran’s strikes on the US bases of Qatar and Iraq, reiterating calls for “de-escalation, dialogue and diplomacy”.

“There have been disruptions to flights with temporary airspace closures in the region,” she said.

“Closure of airspace around transit hubs may impact flights globally, causing delays and cancellations. Australians travelling should seek updates from their airlines and follow (Smartraveller).

“Australians in need of emergency consular assistance should contact the Australian Government’s 24-hour Consular Emergency Centre 1300 555 135 (within Australia) and [phone] (from overseas).”

Prior to Iran’s attack on the US base in Qatar, Aviation Projects Managing Director and Principal Consultant, Keith Tonkin said he would feel safe flying in the current climate.

“These major airlines have very good operational intelligence units and they’re provided information by others to support their decision making,” he said.

British Airways made the decision to cancel flights into The Gulf states on Sunday. Picture: AFP

“They would make those decisions (to fly) based on the safety and security of the airline and its people and the travelling public.”

Mr Tonkin said it was hard to know why British Airways had made the decision to cancel its services into the two Arab flight hubs earlier this week.

“The airspace isn’t available to fly through over Iran, so the airlines will have planned around that knowing that there will be missiles flying through the air,” he said.

“Most certainly they (British Airways) felt it was unsafe to fly … either based on intelligence or other information it had.”

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.”

WHAT ABOUT TRAVEL INSURANCE COVERAGE?

While travel insurers are monitoring the unfolding conflict in the Middle East, according to the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA), the vast majority of standard polices will not cover “losses or damages arising directly or indirectly from acts of war or conflict”.

“Some policies may offer limited coverage for specific terrorism-related events, however, these are limited and come with strict conditions,” a spokeswoman for the ICA confirmed.

The Council urged those needing or wishing to travel to conflict affected zones to seek specialty cover or consider “Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR)” policies, which provide partial reimbursement for cancellations not typically covered.

WHICH AIRLINES ARE AFFECTED?

Qantas: QF9 (Perth-London) was diverted to Singapore while QF33 (Perth-Paris) was turned back to Perth. QF34 (Paris-Peth) is expected to be affected due to a lack of aircraft on the ground.

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

Qatar Airways / Virgin Australia: The airline temporarily suspended all flights but they have now resumed. Flight VA1 (Sydney–Doha) was diverted to Bengaluru and VA15 (Brisbane–Doha) diverted to Muscat.

Air India: The airline ceased all operations to the Middle East as well as to and from the east coast of North America and Europe, until further notice.

Singapore Airlines: Cancelled eight flights from Singapore into Dubai, two a day until June 25.

Air France: Cancelled flights into Dubai and Riyadh on Sunday and Monday, and suspended flights to and from Beirut, Lebanon until Wednesday.

American Airlines: Suspended all flights into Qatar earlier this week, and have yet to resume.

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 International flights cancelled, diverted after Iran attacks US base