Qatar shuts down airspace temporarily amid regional crisis

Qatar has temporarily suspended all air traffic in its airspace, citing safety concerns for its citizens, residents, and visitors.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar announced the decision following rising tensions in the region and threats of Iranian retaliation against the United States.

In a statement released via its official social media account, the Ministry said, “The competent Qatari authorities announce the temporary suspension of air traffic in the country’s airspace out of concern for the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors.” 

Moreover, flight tracking platform Flightradar24 said that inbound flights to Doha’s Hamad International Airport began diverting to alternate airports on Monday afternoon.

Meanwhile, the US and the UK have told their citizens in Qatar to shelter in place “until further notice”.

The US embassy in Qatar suggested in a notice online that Americans do so “out of an abundance of caution”. The UK government said it was issuing its warning in response to the US alert.

The warnings come after the State Department told US citizens in international locations to “exercise increased caution,” after the US bombed three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday. Iran has threatened to retaliate.

In a statement, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said a number of countries were urging precautions, but the embassy notice did “not necessarily reflect the existence of specific threats”.

“The security situation in the country is stable,” the statement said, adding that “the relevant authorities are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors”.

Qatar is home to the largest US military base in the Middle East, Al Udeid Air Base. About 8,000 US citizens live there, according to the State Department.

The US has about 40,000 troops stationed in the Middle East.

The message from the US Embassy was followed by warnings from other groups in Qatar, including several universities that asked students to go home.

Bilateral relations between the US and Qatar are “strong”, according to the State Department, which says Qatar has helped play a financial, political and military role in dealing with turmoil in the region.

- Agencies