Qatar Airways CEO reveals details behind travel recovery: 151 disrupted flights, 20,000 passengers diverted mid-air, 35,000 meals for stranded passengers

Arabian Business

3 days ago

Qatar Airways successfully restored its global flight operations within 18 hours after an unprecedented shutdown of Qatari airspace on June 23, following a missile attack near Al Udeid Air Base.
The escalation, which temporarily halted all departures from Doha and forced over 90 inbound flights to divert mid-air, led to widespread travel disruption.
In an open letter to passengers, Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Group Chief Executive Officer, has explained how the airline recovered from the disruption and co-ordinated a travel operation with tens of thousands of passengers.
Qatar Airways flights resumed
Al Meer said flights were redirected to Saudi Arabia, Turkey, India, Oman and the UAE, while thousands of passengers were put up in hotel rooms and more than 35,000meals were served to stranded people.
See the full letter from Badr Mohammed Al Meer below.
Qatar Airways travel recovery stats at a glance
151 flights disrupted globally
20,000+ passengers diverted mid-air
90+ flights en route to Doha at the time of airspace closure
25 flights diverted to Saudi Arabia
18 flights diverted to Turkey
15 flights diverted to India
13 flights diverted to Oman
5 flights diverted to the UAE
10,000+ passengers already in transit inside Hamad International Airport
35,000+ meals distributed to stranded travellers
4,600+ passengers provided with hotel accommodation
3,200 hotel rooms secured across Doha
390 flights operated on 24 June during recovery
578 scheduled flights resumed by 25 June
22,000+ passengers in Doha transit at 05:00 on 24 June
11,000+ passengers resumed travel by morning wave on 24 June
All 20,000 diverted passengers rebooked and cleared within 24 hours
18 hours to resume full operations across the network
To our passengers: an open letter from Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer
'To all our passengers who place their trust in Qatar Airways,
'This week brought an operational crisis few airlines will ever encounter, and one that challenged the very core of what it means to run a global airline.
'At around 6pm local time on Monday, June 23, an unexpected and unprecedented closure of Qatari airspace forced Qatar Airways to suspend global operations with immediate effect.
'Shortly after, airspace was also closed in Bahrain, the UAE, and Kuwait. Hamad International Airport, one of the world's busiest and most connected global hubs, was brought to a standstill, with almost 100 aircraft en route to Doha, several already on approach to our runways, and others lining up for departure.
'In the moments that followed, a missile attack was launched from Iran on Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. As missiles entered the skies above Qatar, air defence systems were activated and the State of Qatar's Armed Forces took swift, decisive action to protect its people, defend its territory, and ensure the safety of everyone within its borders.
'At the time, over 90 Qatar Airways flights carrying more than 20,000 passengers to Doha, were forced to divert immediately.
'25 flights diverted into airports across Saudi Arabia, 18 into Turkey, 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.
'All departures from Doha were suspended until 12.01am on June 24 at the earliest. Our routine, seamlessly synchronised global operation was, in an instant, scattered into dozens and dozens of disrupted flight scenarios across continents, each with their own complexities and requirements.
'Inside Hamad International Airport, over 10,000 passengers were already in transit, expecting to depart when the escalation occurred. They found themselves caught in the middle of one of the most severe and complex operational challenges in modern aviation history.
'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.
'The priority for us was clear: to care for our passengers impacted by the unprecedented situation that continued to unfold, and to restore our global operations as safely and swiftly as possible.
'Once airspace reopened shortly after midnight on Tuesday, June 24, diverted aircraft began returning to our Doha hub over the course of several hours — each arrival a step towards reassembling our operation.
'As these aircraft and their passengers disembarked at Hamad International Airport, the number of passengers in transit surged to over 22,000 by 5am local time.
'As an airline, our business continuity plans were activated, and our teams coordinated on hard resource planning, catering, ground transport, hotel accommodation, and real-time alignment with passenger movements, immigration, customs, and every airport stakeholder.
'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 — allowing for a smoother re-entry once our operations resumed.
'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.
'Over 35,000 meals were distributed, and water, comfort kits, and reassurance were offered face to face, flight by flight.
'We increased capacity to destinations with high volumes of displaced passengers. Contact centre resources were scaled up to cope with global demand. We quickly established a flexible travel policy, allowing passengers who had not yet started their journeys to make changes or refund their bookings without fees.
'Across our global stations, ground handlers and partners moved quickly, supported by live coordination between our airport and airline operations control centres.
'A severe geopolitical escalation had forced the shutdown of our global hub, but our focus was to stay agile, adapt, and continue to deliver for our passengers.
'By Tuesday, June 24, Qatar Airways operated a total of 390 flights as we worked to rebuild our network and restore schedule integrity.
'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.
Within just 18 hours, our scheduled operations had resumed. Wave by wave, the system began to stabilise.
By the end of Tuesday, more than 58,000 passengers had departed Doha — moved not by chance, but by a coordinated effort from across the Qatar Airways Group to fulfil our responsibility during this unprecedented disruption.
Today, June 25, our operation has stabilised even further, with 578 scheduled flights operating.
'This scale and speed of recovery reflects the depth of experience, planning, and commitment we're proud to uphold at Qatar Airways.
'To everyone who travelled with us during this difficult time — to those who waited patiently in long queues, to those who faced uncertainty, and to those who showed understanding in the face of a worrying and rapidly-evolving crisis — I thank you.
'We are deeply grateful for your patience and trust as we worked to take you to your destination as safely and smoothly as possible.
'My sincere appreciation goes to our teams across the airline, and to our partners around the world, for their immense efforts around the clock over the past few days. Faced with an extraordinary challenge, we came together to support our passengers, recover our network, and return our operations to normal.
'The professionalism and unity on display reflect the very best of what our airline group and our partners stand for.
'Millions place their trust in Qatar Airways to carry them across borders, continents, and time zones, — and that trust is not taken lightly. It is earned, through action, through responsibility, and a readiness to act when it matters most.
'Thank you for continuing to place that trust in us'.