Qatar and the UAE shuts airspace for commercial traffic until further notice

by Ajay Leave A Comment

As a consequence of the actions in the Middle East over the weekend, which are being referred to as Operation Midnight Hammer, there is a certain amount of unease in the Middle East right now, given that the US has massive military presence in the Middle East as well. Many airlines have decided to temporarily shut flights into the Middle East, but now, one of the Middle Eastern nations is taking it a step further.

Qatar Shuts Airspace to Commercial Traffic

A little while ago, Qatar took the decision to shut its airspace to commercial traffic, as a precautionary measure. In a statement from Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it says,

The competent Qatari authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country’s airspace, in order to
ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors.

The explanation goes on as such,

As part of the State of Qatar’s commitment to the safety of its citizens, residents, and visitors, the competent authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the countrys airspace. This is part of a set of precautionary measures taken based on developments in the region

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that official authorities are closely and continuously monitoring the situation, assessing developments in coordination with regional and international partners, and will provide the public with updated information in a timely manner through official channels

The Ministry reiterates its emphasis that the safety and security of all individuals within the State of Qatar remains a top priority, and that the State will not hesitate to take the necessary preventive measures in this regard

Here is the official notice. Qatar said it has shut down airspace temporarily as part of measures taken amid developments in the region.

The image is an official announcement from the State of Qatar regarding the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country's airspace. The text states that this measure is to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors. The announcement is dated June 23, 2025, and includes the emblem of Qatar, featuring crossed swords and a palm tree. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasizes the importance of safety and security and mentions ongoing monitoring and coordination with regional and international partners.

And here is a tweet/ X Post on the Arabic account of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

As of the time of writing this article, there were about a 100 flights inbound to Qatar, per popular flight tracking solution FlightRadar24.

The image is a screenshot from a flight tracking website, showing a world map with numerous yellow airplane icons representing live air traffic. Each icon is labeled with a flight number. The map includes red boundary lines indicating different airspace regions. The majority of the flights are concentrated over Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. The website's logo, "flightradar24," is visible at the top.

As per FlightRadar24 itself, these flights are being diverted currently.

UAE also shuts down its airspace

While there is no formal announcement I could find, a short while after Qatar closed its airspace, the UAE airspace also shut down. This means that there is a credible threat and the UAE is also trying to protect assets inbound to the country from coming in harm’s way. Unfortunately, UAE has a lot of A380 traffic, so I wonder where will these Code F aircraft divert to?

The image is a screenshot from Flightradar24, showing live air traffic over a world map. Numerous yellow airplane icons are scattered across the map, indicating the locations of various flights. Each icon is labeled with flight numbers. The map includes red boundary lines outlining different regions and countries. The background is a dark, satellite-style view of the Earth.

As per FR24, the UAE airspace is confirmed shut.

Why shut down the airspace?

The shutdown of Qatari airspace comes as Iran repeated earlier threats to retaliate against the United States after strikes on its nuclear sites. With commercial traffic being closed, it helps as there is a clearer line of sight to any threats which are lobbed at them, and also, commercial airliners will be out of harms way if this happens.

Qatar is home to the United States’ largest base in the region. At the time of updating this post, it seems air defense systems in Qatar are keeping away the Iran-fired threats.

The British and the US  governments have  issued a warning recommending that their citizens in Qatar shelter in place until further notice.

Bottomline

Qatar (and UAE) has shut down its airspace with immediate effect, temporarily, in view of the recent threats in the region. Qatar says the move is only for commercial airliners, and to protect its citizens and visitors from harm. Over a 100 flights were inbound to Qatar at the time of the closure of their airspace, and these are currently being diverted. The number of flights inbound to the UAE is far higher.

What do you think of Qatar’s and the UAE’s moves after Operation Midnight Thunder?

Liked our articles and our efforts? Please pay an amount you are comfortable with; an amount you believe is the fair price for the content you have consumed. Please enter an amount in the box below and click on the button to pay; you can use Netbanking, Debit/Credit Cards, UPI, QR codes, or any Wallet to pay. Every contribution helps cover the cost of the content generated for your benefit.

(Important: to receive confirmation and details of your transaction, please enter a valid email address in the pop-up form that will appear after you click the ‘Pay Now’ button. For international transactions, use Paypal to process the transaction.)

Pay Now
PayPal Now

We are not putting our articles behind any paywall where you are asked to pay before you read an article. We are asking you to pay after you have read the article if you are satisfied with the quality and our efforts.

.

About Ajay

Ajay Awtaney is the Founder and Editor of Live From A Lounge (LFAL), a pioneering digital platform renowned for publishing news and views about aviation, hotels, passenger experience, loyalty programs, travel trends and frequent travel tips for the Global Indian. He is considered the Indian authority on business travel, luxury travel, frequent flyer miles, loyalty credit cards and travel for Indians around the globe. Ajay is a frequent contributor and commentator on the media as well, including ET Now, BBC, CNBC TV18, NDTV, Conde Nast Traveller and many other outlets.

More articles by Ajay »

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *