Airline passengers booked on flights out of the UAE via Doha are facing issues and expenses as they try to rebook their flights after the UAE announced it is severing diplomatic ties with Qatar. Etihad Airways, flydubai, Emirates, and Air Arabia have suspended all flights to and from Doha starting Tuesday 6th June until further notice.
In a statement on its website, Etihad said the last flight from Abu Dhabi to Doha will depart at 2.45am (local time) on 6th June, and the last flight from Doha to Abu Dhabi will depart at 4am (local time) on the same day.
Etihad said it is providing all its customers who booked flights to and from Doha with “alternative options including full refunds on unused tickets and free rebooking to the nearest alternate Etihad Airways destinations”.
flydubai have also said it is suspending all its flights between Dubai and Doha. In a statement, the carrier urged passengers who have purchased tickets to fly between Dubai and Doha to “contact their travel agent, the flydubai travel shop in Doha on 00974 4 4227350/51 or our contact centre in Dubai on (00971) 600 544445 to arrange a refund”.
Dubai-based Emirates said it will suspend flights to and from Doha from the morning of 6th June. The last flight from Dubai to Doha will depart at 2.30am, while the last flight from Doha to Dubai will depart at 3.50am on the same day.
“Emirates’ flights to and from Doha today (5th June) will operate as normal. Travellers bound for Doha who are boarding their flight from airports around the Emirates network today will be advised to make alternative arrangements,” said an Emirates spokesperson.
Emirates added, “All customers booked on Emirates’ flights to and from Doha will be provided with alternative options, including full refunds on unused tickets and free rebooking to the nearest alternate Emirates destination”.
Air Arabia has said it is suspending Doha flights to and from both Sharjah’s airport and Ras Al Khaimah’s airport from 6th June.
“The last outbound flight from Sharjah to Doha will depart today (5th June) at 6.30pm, while the last inbound flight from Doha to Sharjah will depart today at 7.25pm (local time). The remaining flights on June 5 will operate as normal,” Air Arabia said in a statement.
Bahrain-based Gulf Air took a similar measure, announcing the suspension of all its flights between Bahrain and Doha effective midnight 6th June and until further notice.
The suspension comes after the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt said they are cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar amid escalating tensions over accusations that Doha sponsors terrorism.
Qatar Airways responded on Monday morning by saying it will suspend all flights to Saudi Arabia until further notice. That evening the carrier updated its statement on its website, saying it is also suspending all flights to the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt.
Qatar Airways said flights on 5th June will operate as per schedule, but flights to all four countries would be suspended from 6th June morning. Flights to the UAE and Bahrain will be suspended from 3am (Doha time), while flights to Egypt will be suspended from 4am.
The carrier said it would provide customers with existing booking with options to get a full refund and free rebooking to the nearest destination.
Etihad Airways: Customers already booked on Etihad flights to and from Doha are provided with options including full refunds and free rebooking to the nearest destination. Call +971 (0) 2599 0000 or visit www.etihad.com
Emirates airline: All passengers booked on flights to and from Doha will be provided with options including full refunds and free rebooking to the nearest destination. Call 600 555555, or visit www.emirates.com
Flydubai: Passengers are urged to call the contact centre to arrange a refund. Call 00974 4 4227350/51 (from Doha) or (00971) 600 54 44 45 from the UAE.
Air Arabia: Passengers with existing reservations to Doha beyond 5th June can claim either a full refund or ask to be rebooked onto other destinations. Call 971 6 5580000 or visit www.airarabia.com