Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air has temporarily repositioned several aircraft from Bahrain International Airport as airlines continue to adapt to airspace disruptions across the Gulf.
On Thursday morning, news agency Reuters reported that a smoke plume was seen rising from the vicinity of Bahrain airport.
Flight tracking website Flightradar24 posted on X that 21 aircraft were “evacuated”: 11 Gulf Air, one Air India Express, and nine different cargo aircraft.
The Bahrain News Agency said that the aircraft repositioning was part of Gulf Air’s “operational planning”, in order to ensure “continued operational efficiency and enhance its connectivity network for customers”.
While flights out of Bahrain are suspended, Gulf Air is operating daily return services from King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, to London, Bangkok and Mumbai. Flights are available to book for passengers “who meet the eligibility criteria”, the airline said in a statement.
Qatar’s repatriation flights cover 36 destinations
Qatar Airways has confirmed a limited schedule of repatriation flights to and from Hamad International Airport in Doha after temporary operating corridors were authorised by the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority.
Over the coming days, the airline will operate services linking Doha with 36 destinations worldwide.
However, the carrier said in a statement that the flights “do not constitute a confirmation of the resumption of scheduled commercial operations”.
Flights departing from Doha (DOH):
- Thursday 12 March: Cairo (CAI), Casablanca (CMN), Johannesburg (JNB), Sao Paulo (GRU), New York (JFK), Frankfurt (FRA), Madrid (MAD), London (LHR), Beijing (PKX), Mumbai (BOM), Delhi (DEL), Islamabad (ISB), Colombo (CMB), Jakarta (CGK), Manila (MNL).
- Friday 13 March: Perth (PER), Seoul (ICN), Dhaka (DAC), Jeddah, (JED), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Bangkok (BKK), Kochi (COK), Algiers (ALG), Miami (MIA), Istanbul (IST), Cairo (CAI), Amsterdam (AMS), London (LHR), Milan (MXP), Paris (CDG)
- Saturday 14 March: Riyadh (RUH), Muscat (MCT), Shanghai (PVG), Manila (MNL), Johannesburg (JNB), Dallas (DFW), Toronto (YYZ), Colombo (CMB), Cairo (CAI), Islamabad (ISB), Mumbai (BOM), London (LHR), Rome (FCO), Madrid (MAD), Frankfurt (FRA)
- Sunday 15 March: Istanbul (IST), Dhaka (DAC), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Bangkok (BKK), Delhi (DEL), Algiers (ALG), Melbourne (MEL), New York, (JFK), Jeddah (JED), Sao Paulo (GRU), Madrid (MAD), Hong Kong (HKG), London (LHR), Casablanca (CMN), Paris (CDG)
- Monday 16 March: Perth (PER), Muscat (MCT), Seoul (ICN), Bangkok (BKK), Beijing (PKX), Dhaka (DAC), Kochi (COK), Jakarta (CGK), Mumbai (BOM), Cairo (CAI), Miami (MIA), Colombo (CMB)
Up to 8,000 passengers were reported to have been stranded in Qatar with the government covering the costs of hotel accommodation and extending their visas.
Flights arriving to Doha (DOH):
- Thursday 12 March: Cairo (CAI), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), London Heathrow (LHR), Paris (CDG), Madrid (MAD), Rome (FCO), Delhi (DEL), Jeddah (JED), Muscat (MCT), Hong Kong (HKG), Seoul (ICN), Bangkok (BKK), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Melbourne (MEL).
- Friday 13 March: Amsterdam (AMS), London (LHR), Milan (MXP), Paris (CDG)
- Saturday 14 March: Perth (PER), Seoul (ICN), Dhaka (DAC), Jeddah (JED), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Bangkok (BKK), Kochi (COK), Algiers (ALG), Miami (MIA), Istanbul (IST), Cairo (CAI), Johannesburg (JNB), London (LHR), Madrid (MAD), Frankfurt (FRA)
- Sunday 15 March: Riyadh (RUH), Muscat (MCT), Shanghai (PVG), Manila (MNL), Dallas (DFW), Toronto (YYZ), Colombo (CMB), Cairo (CAI), Islamabad (ISB), Mumbai (BOM), Rome (FCO), Madrid (MAD), London (LHR), Casablanca (CMN), Paris (CDG)
- Monday 16 March: Istanbul (IST), Dhaka (DAC), Kuala Lampur (KUL), Bangkok (BKK), Delhi (DEL), Algeria (ALG), New York (JFK), Jeddah (JED), Sao Paulo (GRU), Hong Kong (HKG), Amsterdam (AMS), London (LHR), Frankfurt (FRA)
- Tuesday 17 March: Perth (PER), Muscat (MCT), Seoul (ICN), Bangkok (BKK), Beijing (PKX), Dhaka (DAC), Kochi (COK), Jakarta (CGK), Mumbai (BOM), Cairo (CAI), Miami (MIA), Colombo (CMB)
BA cancels Abu Dhabi service ‘until later this year’
In an update issued on 10 March, British Airways said it has cancelled all flights to and from Amman, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai and Tel Aviv “until later this month”, while services to and from Abu Dhabi have been cancelled “until later this year”.
BA has been operating a number of repatriation flights to help stranded passengers return home.
Following its final repatriation services from Muscat, Oman, to London Heathrow on 11 and 12 March, the flights will pause due to “reduced demand” and the airline will be “keeping the situation under constant review”.
Oman Air helps 97,000 passengers ‘get home’
Muscat International Airport in Oman’s capital city has been a key transit point providing relief flights for passengers who were unable to take off from the UAE due to ongoing regional airspace closures.
Over the past week Oman Air has operated almost 80 extra flights and “helped more than 97,000 passengers get home”, it said in a statement on X.
The airline will continue to “add extra frequencies where operationally possible” and additional bus support services have “also been made available for those crossing the land border from the UAE to Oman to catch onward flights”.
The “vast majority” of its international network, spanning Europe, South-East Asia, and Africa, is “operating as planned”.
However, Oman Air has confirmed that flights to and from Amman, Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Dammam, Kuwait, Copenhagen, Baghdad, and Khasab are cancelled from 9-15 March.
Airlines issue updates to Middle East schedules
Emirates expects to return to full flight capacity in the “coming days”, following the partial re-opening of regional airspace in the UAE. The Dubai-based carrier has been operating a reduced flight schedule while working to restore full network operations.
Etihad Airways has also restarted a “limited flight schedule” operating from its hub at Zayed International Airport in Abu Dhabi. The airline has listed more than 70 destinations that it planned to fly to between 6 and 19 March.
Air Arabia has started operating a limited number of flights to and from the UAE, subject to operational and regulatory approvals. From 6-22 March, limited flights will be operating between Sharjah, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah to more than 40 destinations.
Air India and Air India Express will operate 58 scheduled and non-scheduled flights to and from West Asia on 12 March. Services include routes between India and Riyadh, Jeddah and Muscat, with 10 flights to Jeddah and eight to Muscat operated by Air India Express. Air India will run round-trip services from Delhi and Mumbai to Jeddah, while Air India Express will operate flights from Bengaluru and Kozhikode. The airlines also plan 40 additional non-scheduled flights to the UAE and Saudi Arabia, subject to slot availability and regulatory approvals.
Virgin Atlantic’s seasonal Dubai service is now suspended for the remainder of the winter season. The airline’s flights to Riyadh have also now paused for the next two weeks and will “continue to be assessed on an ongoing basis in line with the latest safety guidance”.
Saudia has extended the suspension of flights to and from Amman, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Bahrain until 11:59 pm GMT on 12 March. Flight cancellations to and from Moscow and Peshawar remain extended until 15 March.
Low-cost carrier Wizz Air has suspended all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman up to and including Sunday 15 March.
Turkish Airlines has cancelled flights to and from Bahrain, Dammam and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Syria and the UAE.
Air France is “monitoring the evolving situation in the region in real-time”, but due to the closure of certain airspaces it has been forced to extend the suspension of its flights to and from Dubai and Riyadh until 12 March inclusive and to and from Tel Aviv and Beirut until 13 March.
Dutch airline KLM is currently not flying through the airspace of Iran, Iraq and Israel, nor over several countries in the Gulf region. Flights to, from, or via destinations in the region are cancelled or adjusted. KLM’s Tel Aviv flights are suspended for the remainder of its winter season operations, while flights to and from Dubai are suspended up to and including Wednesday 11 March.
Lufthansa Group airlines – which includes Lufthansa, SWISS International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, ITA Airways, and Eurowings – has suspended flights to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi until and including 15 March; to and from Dammam until 15 March; to and from Amman and Erbil until 15 March; to and from Tel Aviv until 2 April; to and from Beirut until 28 March; and to and from Tehran until 30 April.
Air Canada has said that all flights to and from Dubai and Tel Aviv are currently suspended and restarting on 23 March.
Garuda Indonesia, Indonesia’s flag carrier, temporarily suspended flights to and from Doha “until further notice”, the company said in a statement.