Arab countries cut ties with Qatar – flights no longer operating

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Arab countries cut ties with Qatar – flights no longer operating | Secret Flying

Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the UAE have cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of destabilising the region.

 

In a shocking move, a number of Arab countries have cut diplomatic ties with Qatar accusing it of supporting terror and destabilising the Middle-East. The countries say they plan to break off all land, air and sea traffic with the small gulf state.

 

The decision appears to be over Qatar’s support of the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist group founded in Egypt who are considered a terrorist organisation by many governments around the world.

 

Qatar have also been accused of having close ties with Iran, Saudi Arabia’s arch-rival.

 

As an indication of how serious this incident is, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE are preventing their citizens from travelling to Qatar and given Qataris 14 days to leave their countries.

 

Airlines have already announced on their respective websites that flights to Doha have been suspended.

 

Etihad Airways published the following statement on their website:

From the evening of 5 June 2017, Etihad Airways will suspend all flights to and from Doha until further notice.

The last flight from Abu Dhabi to Doha will depart as EY391 at 21:35 (local time) on 5 June.

The last flight from Doha to Abu Dhabi will depart as EY398 at 22:50 (local time) on 5 June.

The aircraft for these flights has been upgraded to a Boeing 777.‎

All customers who are booked on Etihad Airways flights to and from Doha are being provided with alternative options, including full refunds on unused tickets and free rebooking to the nearest alternate Etihad Airways destinations. Detailed information is available by calling the Etihad Airways Contact Centre on +971 (0) 2599 0000, or by visiting‎ etihad.com.

Any further changes to the status of flight schedules to Doha will be communicated through the appropriate channels.

Etihad Airways regrets any inconvenience caused as a result of the suspension.

 

Qatar Airways have responded to the news by suspending all flights to Saudi Arabia.

 

If you have a flight to any of the affected countries with any of the affected carriers, please confirm your booking with the airline.

 

Airlines that have or will be suspending flights are: Etihad Airways, Emirates, Qatar Airways, Saudia, FlyDubai, Air Arabia, Gulf Air and EgyptAir.