Qatar Airways has confirmed the resumption of its full flight operations to Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria following the lifting of airspace restrictions in the region.
In a statement, Qatar Airways indicated that starting June 30, it resumed operations at five destinations in Iraq. Beginning July 6, the airline will restart its daily service to Damascus. From July 1, Qatar Airways will fully resume its schedule to Lebanon’s Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport and Jordan’s Queen Alia International Airport.
The statement also noted that the airline has updated its schedules in accordance with international aviation regulations to ensure safe aircraft routes. Passengers are encouraged to check the status of their flights and travel alerts on qatarairways.com, as per the announcement.
Last week, Qatar Airways reinstated its full schedule in record time despite an unexpected geopolitical escalation, said the carrier’s CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer.
At approximately 18:00 local time on June 23, an unforeseen and unprecedented closure of Qatari airspace compelled Qatar Airways to suspend global operations immediately. Shortly thereafter, airspace was also closed in Bahrain, the UAE, and Kuwait.
Read more: Qatar Airways reinstates flights as Qatar’s airspace reopens
Over 90 flights diverted
Hamad International Airport, recognized as one of the world’s busiest and most connected global hubs, came to a halt, with nearly 100 aircraft en route to Doha, some already approaching the runways, and others queued for departure.
That night, over 90 Qatar Airways flights carrying more than 20,000 passengers to Doha were forced to divert without delay. Twenty-five flights were redirected to airports across Saudi Arabia, 18 to Türkiye, 15 to India, 13 to Oman, and five to the UAE. The remaining aircraft were rerouted to major hubs including London, Barcelona, and other locations across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Once Qatar’s airspace reopened shortly after midnight on June 24, diverted aircraft began returning to the Doha hub over several hours. As these flights and their passengers disembarked at Hamad International Airport, the number of passengers in transit surged to over 22,000 by 05:00 local time.
By June 24, Qatar Airways had operated a total of 390 flights as it worked to rebuild its network and restore schedule integrity. All passengers from diverted flights—approximately 20,000 in total—were accommodated within 24 hours. Additionally, more than 11,000 resumed their journeys during the morning wave on June 24, with the remainder departing through the evening wave and morning bank on June 25.
