Doha travel disruption hits passengers and UK travellers as Gulf airports ground services

The immediate impact landed on travellers, airports and airlines: doha’s temporary suspension of services and wider Gulf airspace closures left passengers stranded, flights diverted and UK nationals told to shelter. Major carriers trimmed schedules or halted routes, compounding delays as international traffic avoids the region and operators re-route around closed airways.

Who is affected first: passengers, UK nationals and airport staff

Passengers on scheduled services to Gulf cities have been the first to see disruption. More than 200 people on one evening service to Doha were returned to their origin, others sat on tarmacs for hours, and a delayed flight from Birmingham bound for Doha turned back after reaching French airspace. British nationals in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates were urged by the UK Foreign Office to shelter in place following reports of explosions and air-raid sirens.

Doha and Dubai airports suspend services as Qatari and Iranian airspace close

Airports in Dubai and Doha have grounded services while Qatari airspace is closed. Qatar Airways confirmed a temporary suspension of flights to and from its capital doha because of the closure of Qatari airspace and said it is working with authorities to support affected passengers and will resume when the airspace reopens; the airline emphasised passenger and crew safety and apologised for inconvenience. Emirates has also temporarily stopped services to and from Dubai.

Airlines pare back schedules and reroute: a patchwork of cancellations

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Wizz Air are among carriers that have pared back schedules citing safety concerns. British Airways has cancelled services to Tel Aviv and Bahrain for a period noted in some updates as running until Wednesday and in others up to and including 3 March—this timing is unclear in the provided context. Wizz Air suspended all flights to and from Israel, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Amman up to and including next Saturday; a separate notice lists London Luton–Tel Aviv services suspended until 7 March. Virgin Atlantic cancelled a Heathrow–Dubai flight and warned other routes may be longer due to rerouting. Operational decisions will continue to be reviewed and flight schedules may be adjusted as the situation evolves.

Diverted flights and specific incidents

A delayed Qatar Airways service scheduled to depart Birmingham at 08: 14 GMT flew as far as France before returning to Birmingham and landing at about 11: 20 GMT, with flight-tracking data showing the diversion. Heathrow’s departure boards showed cancellations that included a Kuwait Airways service, an Emirates flight to Dubai, a Qatar Airways flight to Doha and an Etihad service to Abu Dhabi; Manchester listed an 20: 40 (8: 40pm) Emirates flight to Dubai as cancelled. One British Airways 20: 00 service to Doha was turned back part way through its journey and more than 200 passengers found themselves back at Heathrow; one account identifies the return as caused by a technical issue unrelated to the military action, while another simply records the flight being ordered to turn around—cause is unclear in the provided context.

Security context and broader military moves

US and Israeli forces launched strikes on sites in Iran, with multiple Iranian cities, including Tehran, targeted. The strikes were followed by accusations that Iran launched retaliatory strikes on Israel and on locations in countries hosting US facilities, and there are reports of civilian casualties. US leadership cited a failure to reach an agreement to limit Iran's nuclear programme and regime change among reasons for the action. Iranian airspace has been closed and international traffic is avoiding the region; counter-strikes and missile activity affecting US bases in Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE and Kuwait and strikes on sites in Israel are also noted in coverage. The UK did not participate in the strikes.

Here's the part that matters for travellers: the sequence of airport closures and carrier suspensions has produced immediate reroutes, cancellations and guidance from authorities that should be treated as binding until airspace reopens.

• Travel-advice notices on 28 February urged passengers to check with their airline and for UK nationals to shelter in place in affected Gulf states.
• Major carriers have announced temporary suspensions and schedule cuts; some cancellations list specific return dates that differ across updates and are unclear in the provided context.
• Flights over the affected region are being diverted, creating knock-on delays at European and Gulf hubs.
• Qatar Airways and Emirates have publicly paused services to their home bases while closures remain in force.

The real question now is how long airspace closures and the operational caution from carriers will last; confirmations will likely come only when authorities reopen airspace and airlines publish resumed schedules.

Local transportation and civic updates mentioned in the same reporting include that Andrew Gant said more teams are working on pothole repairs across Oxfordshire, Alderney residents noted a project that will help keep island connections active, and Network Rail faced criticism in 2024 for displaying adverts on a screen instead of train information—these items appeared alongside the aviation coverage in the provided context.

What’s easy to miss is how layered these disruptions are: an immediate safety-driven pause in operations layered on top of schedule changes and differing carrier notices, leaving passengers reliant on airline updates and official shelter guidance.

Key takeaways:

• Passengers bound for Gulf cities have faced cancellations, diversions and long tarmac delays; some flights were turned back mid-route.
• UK nationals in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE were advised to shelter in place while travel to Israel and Palestine was discouraged.
• Airspace closures include Iranian and Qatari airspace; international traffic is avoiding the region.
• Carriers named in the coverage include British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Wizz Air, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad and Kuwait Airways; specific suspension end-dates vary across updates and are unclear in the provided context.
• Operational decisions remain under review and schedules may change as authorities and airlines respond.