Qatar Airways has confirmed that around 20,000 passengers who were on diverted flights earlier this week after Iran fired missiles towards Qatar were put on new services within 24 hours.
Qatari airspace was forced to close late on June 23, 2025, after Iranian missile were fired at a US military base around 25 miles outside of Doha. The airline’s hub, Hamad International Airport, confirmed that it had suspended all air traffic for around eight hours.
Iran launched the attack on the Al-Udeid military base in what it said was retaliation for American strikes against its nuclear sites.
The strikes also forced Kuwait and Bahrain to shut their airspace temporarily while Dubai's two airports briefly halted operations.
Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, the airline's CEO, said that at the time of the strikes, over 90 Qatar Airways flights were forced to divert immediately. 25 flights diverted into airports across Saudi Arabia, 18 into Türkiye, 15 into India, 13 into Oman, and 5 into the United Arab Emirates.
The remaining aircraft were re-routed to major hubs including London, Barcelona, and others across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
“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,” said Al-Meer. “Every part of the operation had to adapt in real time - without precedent, and without pause.”
In addition to passengers on diverted flights, the airline stated that inside Hamad International Airport, over 10,000 passengers were already in transit, expecting to depart when the escalation occurred.