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Fri, Jul 18, 2025 | Muharram 23, 1447 | Fajr 04:12 | DXB 
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Doha-bound flights with 20,000 passengers were in air when Iran launched missiles
Meanwhile, Qatar Airways said at the time of the attack, over 10,000 passengers were already in transit inside Hamad International Airport
More than 90 Qatar Airways flights carrying over 20,000 passengers were flying to Doha when Iran launched a missile attack at a US military base in Qatar, said the airline’s group chief executive.
In an open letter to its passengers, Engineer Badr Mohammed Al-Meer said all those more than 90 flights were forced to divert immediately – 25 flights to Saudi Arabia, 18 to Turkey, 15 into India, 13 into Oman, and five into the UAE. The remaining aircraft were re-routed to major hubs including London, Barcelona, and others across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
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Al-Meer revealed that almost 100 aircraft were en route to Doha, several already on approach to runways, and others lining up for departure at Hamad International Airport, one of the world’s busiest and most connected global hubs.
Over 4,600 customers were provided hotel accommodation, using approximately 3,200 rooms across Doha. “Many of these passengers received onward boarding passes for their rescheduled flights before even leaving the terminal… Over 35,000 meals were distributed, and water, comfort kits, and reassurance were offered face to face, flight by flight,” he added.
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Following the US attack on three Iranian nuclear sites, Tehran launched a missile attack at the US’s Al Udeid military base in Qatar, forcing the Gulf country to close its airspace. Similarly, Bahrain and Kuwait also closed their airspace temporarily.
At the time of the attack, Al-Meer said over 10,000 passengers were already in transit inside Hamad International Airport.
“Around the world, some of our flight crews had timed out of legal operating hours. Most of our fleet, including A380s carrying more than 450 passengers each, were now out of position, some grounded at airports with curfews. Several flights had to wait for clearance to re-enter restricted regional airspace. Aircraft routing plans were rewritten in parallel with passenger itineraries. Over 151 flights were immediately disrupted. Every part of the operation had to adapt in real time — without precedent, and without pause,” he said.
Recovery phase
As soon as diverted aircraft began returning to Doha on Tuesday for several hours, the number of passengers in transit surged to over 22,000.
To cope with this challenge, Qatar’s national carrier said it activated its business continuity plans for resource planning, catering, ground transport, hotel accommodation, and real-time alignment with passenger movements, immigration, customs, and other stakeholder.
“Teams from across the airline group stepped into transit areas to assist passengers directly, rebooking journeys, prioritising medical cases, supporting families and elderly travellers, and manually rebuilding complex travel itineraries, some involving other airlines, and expired visas.”
The airline increased capacity to destinations with high volumes of displaced passengers. Contact centre resources were scaled up to cope with global demand and a flexible travel policy was quickly established, allowing passengers who had not yet started their journeys to make changes or refund their bookings without fees.
20,000 passengers cleared in 24 hours
By Tuesday, June 24, Qatar Airways operated a total of 390 flights.
“All passengers from diverted flights — approximately 20,000 in total — were cleared within 24 hours. More than 11,000 resumed their journeys during the morning wave on June 24, with the remainder departing through the evening wave and morning bank on June 25. As of today, there are no passengers from diverted flights left stranded,” Al-Meer said in the open letter.
The airline resumed scheduled operations within 18 hours.
“Wave by wave, the system began to stabilise. By the end of Tuesday, more than 58,000 passengers had departed Doha.”
Waheed Abbas
Waheed Abbas is Assistant Editor, covering real estate, aviation and other business stories that directly affect the lives of UAE consumers. He frequently reports human interest stories, too.
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