Qatar Airways successfully restored its full schedule in record time despite the unexpected geopolitical escalation earlier this week, said the carrier’s CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer. “This week brought an operational crisis few airlines will ever encounter, and one that challenged the very core of what it means to run a global airline,” Al Meer said.
At around 18:00 local time on June 23, an unexpected and unprecedented closure of Qatari airspace forced Qatar Airways to suspend global operations with immediate effect. Shortly after, airspace was also closed in Bahrain, the UAE, and Kuwait.
Hamad International Airport, one of the world’s busiest and most connected global hubs, was brought to a standstill, with almost 100 aircraft en route to Doha, several already on approach to the runways, and others lining up for departure.
Over 90 Qatar Airways flights diverted
During that night, over 90 Qatar Airways flights carrying more than 20,000 passengers to Doha were forced to divert immediately. 25 flights diverted into airports across Saudi Arabia, 18 into Turkey, 15 into India, 13 into Oman, and 5 into the UAE. The remaining aircraft were re-routed to major hubs including London, Barcelona and others across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
“Inside Hamad International Airport, over 10,000 passengers were already in transit, expecting to depart when the escalation occurred. They found themselves caught in the middle of one of the most severe and complex operational challenges in modern aviation history,” Al Meer said.
Once Qatar’s airspace reopened shortly after midnight on June 24, diverted aircraft began returning to the Doha hub over the course of several hours. As these aircraft and their passengers disembarked at Hamad International Airport, the number of passengers in transit surged to over 22,000 by 05:00 local time.
Al Meer also revealed that over 4,600 customers were provided with hotel accommodation, using approximately 3,200 rooms across Doha. Many of these passengers received onward boarding passes for their rescheduled flights before even leaving the terminal, allowing for a smoother re-entry once operations resumed.
Read: Emirates carries over 1.7 million passengers in past 2 weeks despite regional disruptions
Airline resumes operations in record 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 cleared within 24 hours.
In addition, 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. “As of today, there are no passengers from diverted flights left stranded,” he added.
“Within just 18 hours, our scheduled operations had resumed. Wave by wave, the system began to stabilize. By the end of Tuesday, more than 58,000 passengers had departed Doha — moved not by chance, but by a coordinated effort from across the Qatar Airways Group to fulfil our responsibility during this unprecedented disruption,” Al Meer explained.
As of June 25, Qatar Airways’ operations had stabilized even further, with 578 scheduled flights operating. “This scale and speed of recovery reflect the depth of experience, planning and commitment we’re proud to uphold at Qatar Airways,” the CEO added.
