'People began to yell and push': Qatar airspace closure over Iran attack sparks chaos at Doha's Hamad airport

Just hours after an Iranian air strike on the Al-Udeid base of the United States in Qatar's capital city, Doha, the Gulf state reopened the airspace over one of the busiest aviation hubs in the world.

However, the quick reopening did not prevent significant travel disruptions at Hamad International Airport in Doha, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded and frustrated.

Chaos at airport

Typically known for its calm, efficient and quiet luxury environment, ground staff at Hamad International Airport were overwhelmed by travellers looking for a way out after the escalating Middle East conflict crossed their flight plans, Bloomberg reported.

Hundreds of stranded customers stormed transfer desks, crowded escalators, and waiting lounges.

“Tempers were certainly flaring,” said Howard Gottlieb, 68, from Arlington, Texas, whose return flight to Dallas after a trip to Africa was cancelled. “People were beginning to yell and push. Others were simply lying down in the middle of the crowd,” the news agency reported.

Airline Industry’s fragility exposed

The situation shows the fragility of the airline industry that’s been forced to make short-term adjustments to flight routes and travel schedules as it gets caught up in regional conflicts from Ukraine to the Middle East.

The chaotic scenes playing out at Hamad airport stand in stark contrast to the seamless, globe-spanning operations brimming with luxury service that have put superconnector hubs like Doha and Dubai on the map and turned them into aviation trend-setters.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Badr Al-Meer, who previously handled the airport operations, is now in his second year leading the airline. The company assured it has already provided a travel alert with details on refunds and flight change information, the news agency reported.

Dubai operations return to normal

In Dubai, which is not far from Doha, operations swiftly returned to normal at Emirates because the airspace there didn’t close down as completely as in Qatar.

The airline, the world’s biggest international carrier, said in a statement that “passengers experienced minimal disruptions to their travel,” and that the company “quickly activated its robust contingency and disruption plans”.

The clockwork routine that’s normally associated with airline operations in the Persian Gulf was upended late on Monday night,  a while before Iran attacked the US air base in the country. That move led to Qatar suspending transits over its airspace, while flights in and out of Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest hub, were also temporarily stopped, said Bloomberg.

Flights diverted globally

Dozens of Gulf-bound flights on several commercial airlines were diverted to safer airports in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, India and Belgium, including those from London and Zurich to destinations like Dubai and Qatar, said the news agency report.