Thousands of passengers remain stranded at Doha Hamad International Airport after Qatar closed its airspace for hours on Monday night following an Iranian missile attack on the Al Udeid Air Base.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Qatar Airways confirmed that it had been allowed to resume flights to and from its Middle Eastern hub, although it could take several days to stabilize operations.
Passengers stranded at Doha Airport complained of long queues to reach customer service desks, with a lack of staff on the ground able to help desperate travelers trying to get rebooked onto new flights following the airspace closure.
Some videos posted by passengers showed crowding in the airport, although there have been reports that officials are ordering people to delete photos and videos showing the disruption at the airport.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Qatar Airways said: “Our focus at this time is to help our passengers return home or reach their onward journey safely and smoothly.”
The airline said it was deploying extra staff to Doha Airport to assist stranded passengers, but warned that there could be “significant delays” to its operations following the Iranian missile attack.
As the attack got underway on Monday evening, around 100 Qatar Airways planes bound for Doha were forced to divert to alternative airports throughout the region, as well as further afield.
This will mean that many planes and crew are out of position, which will have a knock-on effect on flight schedules over the next few days.
What Rights Do Passengers Have?
The State of Qatar does not have any formal passenger rights rules during times of disruption, and any help that customers receive is at the discretion of Qatar Airways.
Passengers who have been delayed departing from other countries may, however, be able to rely on local rules.
For departures from the European Union, passengers have the right to refreshments and accommodation for delays that stretch overnight. These same rules also cover passengers departing from airports in the United Kingdom.
Europe’s delay compensation will not, however, be applicable because the airspace closure is likely to be deemed the result of an ‘extraordinary circumstance.’
