PIA suspends flights to Gulf countries amid 'escalating military situation'

• PIA suspends flights to Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Dubai.
• Passengers asked to contact for flight status, rebooking.
• Bahrain, Kuwait also close airspace temporarily.
  

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has temporarily suspended its scheduled flights to Gulf countries amid escalating military situation after Iran launched a retaliatory strike on US base in Qatar, a spokesperson said on Monday.

The national flag-carrier announced the suspension of flight operations in Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Dubai.

This development came after several Gulf countries were on high alert following Iran's missile attacks on the US military base in Qatar in response to the American air strikes on Tehran's nuclear sites.

"Flights will resume after the situation returns to normal," the statement read. The spokesperson asked the passengers who were scheduled to travel via different flights to stay updated about their flight status by contacting the PIA call centre.

It added that the airline's reservation department started transferring the travellers' bookings to alternative flights.

Prior to the Iranian attack, Qatar announced today that it had shut down its airspace temporarily, hours after US and British authorities contacted their citizens there recommending that they shelter in place until further notice.

Qatar hosts Al Udeid Air Base, the largest US base in the Middle East, which serves as the forward headquarters for US Central Command and accommodates approximately 10,000 troops.

The Gulf is home to several US military bases.

Bahrain also temporarily shut its airspace after the Iranian attack in Qatar.

Bahrain is home to the headquarters of the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, whose area of responsibility includes the Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.

Meanwhile, Kuwait closed its airspace temporarily until further notice amid regional escalation

Kuwait Airways also suspended flight departures from the country due to regional developments, it said in a post on X.

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways says it is re-routing several flights on June 23 and June 24 in response to airspace restrictions in parts of the Middle East, Reuters reported.

United Arab Emirates airspace was also closed based on flight paths and air traffic control audio, according to a post on X by the air traffic tracking website Flightradar24 on Monday.

Dubai Airports did not comment and referred Reuters to the Dubai government media office.

Three Air India flights headed to Doha were diverted to other airports due to the airspace closing, according to a source and data from Flightradar24. Up to 150 flights had been scheduled in and out of Doha on Monday, the data showed.

IAG's Spanish airline Iberia scrapped an earlier plan to resume flights to Doha on Tuesday after the latest airspace closures.

Airlines face fresh upheaval

Airlines were on fresh alert late on Monday after Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait closed their countries' airspace temporarily following Iranian attack on the US military base in Doha, the latest upheaval to air travel in the Middle East.

Flightradar24 showed virtually no air traffic in the Gulf and over Qatar and Bahrain about 1735 GMT in what earlier in the day had been a busy space filled with commercial flights.

The Israel-Iran conflict has already cut off major flight routes, with the usually busy airspace stretching from Iran and Iraq to the Mediterranean largely void of commercial air traffic since Israel began strikes on Iran on June 13.

Airlines have been diverting, cancelling and delaying flights through the region due to airspace closures and safety concerns.

Proliferating conflict zones are an increasing operational burden on airlines, as aerial attacks raise worries about accidental or deliberate shoot-downs of commercial air traffic.

With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed to most airlines due to years of war, the Middle East had become a more important route for flights between Europe and Asia. Amid missile and air strikes during the past 10 days, airlines have routed north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Earlier today, Iran's National Security Council confirmed it had attacked a major US military base in Qatar on Monday in retaliation for American strikes on its nuclear facilities, adding its response did not "pose any threat" to its Gulf neighbour.

"In response to the US aggressive and insolent action against Iran's nuclear sites and facilities, a few hours ago, the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran struck the US air base in Al-Udeid, Qatar," the council said in a statement

It added that the number of missiles used "was the same as the number of bombs that the US had used in attacking Iran's nuclear facilities".

"This action does not pose any threat to our friendly and brotherly country, Qatar," it added.

In response, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari termed the Iranian attack on al-Udeid base a "violation of Qatar's sovereignty and airspace and the UN charter," according to Al Jazeera.

"We, in the State of Qatar, reserve our right to respond directly … to this blatant aggression in accordance with international law," al-Ansari said in a statement.

He added that Qatari air defences foiled the attack and successfully confronted the Iranian missiles.

— With additional input from Reuters, AFP