Reopening airspace: situation in Qatar, Bahrain, UAE skies the next day, inconvenience and refunds for passengers

The news of the temporary airspace closure by Qatar, Bahrain, Emirates United Arab and Kuwait, last night caught a little bit of everyone by surprise. It is evident, alas, that in that part of the world for the past ten days or so - because of the conflict between Israel and Iran - reigns theuncertainty: Yesterday, however, with Iran's bombing of a US base in Qatar, the alert level Has grown and not by a small amount. 

The situation of flights to and from the Middle East

As we reported in real time, late yesterday evening the above-mentioned countries have progressively reopened its own airspace and airport operations resumed. As can be guessed, however, the situation has not returned to "normal," quite the contrary. And to realize this, one only needs to take a look, via FlightRadar24, at the various airports in the Gulf countries. 

Qatar Airways, for example, has Cancelled dozens and dozens of departing and arriving flights from its hub in Doha (DOH): even now, more than 12 hours after Qatar's airspace was closed and reopened, the airline is canceling connections or at best taking off hours late. To get an idea, Doha airport is on the list of 10 airports - compiled by FlightRadar - with the highest disruption index: incoming flights, to be even clearer, have on average a delay of 125 minutes.

The situation is less tragic in Bahrain: to the Barhain International Airport there have been several cancellations, but slowing down the resumption of operations are mainly delays in outbound flights (FR24 notes a average delay of as much as 85 minutes).

At theMuscat airport, the 'home' of Oman Air as well as the main port of call in the Sultanate of Oman, at the moment the situation seems to be back to normal. They are 4 departing flights reported to be canceled: 3 by Air India to Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram, and Cochin, and 1 by Qatar Airways to Doha; however, all other routes accurate for today are on time or slightly behind schedule. 

Suspended flights of other carriers

Many companies, however - already before last night's escalation had decided to suspend their flights to the Gulf countries. British Airways has suspended services from London (LHR) to. Dubai and Doha; Air France has canceled all flights to Arabia and the United Arab Emirates; Lufthansa, on the other hand, has opted to suspend all flights to the Middle East until at least June 30. As for the North American airlines, again, Air Canada has decided to cancel all flights between Toronto and Dubai, while American Airlines and United have already for a few days suspended flights to DOH and DXB, respectively.

Flight cancellation and passenger rights

In the event of cancellations or delays caused by exceptional events, such as the closure of airspace for security reasons or international conflicts, passengers Are not entitled to monetary compensation provided for in European Regulation 261/2004 (250 to 600 euros).

However, the right to free re-routing remains guaranteed on an alternative flight to reach the final destination, or, alternatively, to the ticket refund and any incidental expenses incurred (meals, hotels, transfers) if the company does not offer a suitable solution. It is important to know that these protections apply only to flights departing from the EU or operated by European airlines and our service of the Flight Advocate unlike all the other guarantees you 100% of your reimbursement at no cost to you for the whole file.

For passengers stranded outside the European Union, for example unable to return to Italy yesterday and with tickets operated by non-European carriers, the EU regulations does not apply, making it more complex to manage the hardship. In such cases, it may be helpful to seek specialized support services or to take out a Dedicated insurance policy before departure.