Latest news with #DohaAirport
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Yahoo
Aussie tourists warned over 'Trump travel tax' as missile threats continue
Sitting at my boarding gate doomscrolling social media, I saw the worst possible alert appear in my feed. After Googling my flight out of Madrid the previous night to learn it was cancelled, I had already scrambled to get a new flight to Barcelona to begin my journey back home to Australia. But things were about to get really bad. Sitting in Doha International Airport in Qatar with about 30 minutes left to board my Sydney-bound flight, I read a tweet saying the Qatari government had just closed the country's airspace due to imminent missile launches from Iran targeting US military bases in the country. None of the passengers around me knew it yet – and there was certainly no announcement over the loud speaker at the airport – but we were about to find ourselves in the middle of what the airline would later call "one of the most severe and complex operational challenges in modern aviation history". The airport is one of the world's busiest and most connected global aviation hubs. At the time, over 90 Qatar Airways flights carrying more than 20,000 passengers to Doha, were forced to divert immediately. Inside the airport, there was some 10,000 passengers with the airline now in complete limbo. Slowly it became clear no one was going anywhere. And nobody had any answers about when we could or how exactly that would happen. RELATED: Advice to Aussie travellers heading to Europe and Middle East Qatar Airways said it deployed extra staff to deal with the massive disruption but at the same time some of the flight crews had timed out of legal operating hours. At one point, myself and countless other trying to get back to Sydney queued for hours on hopes of being issued a new boarding pass only for that queue to be told to disband and move further down the terminal empty handed. "Someone had to step up." As people grew increasingly agitated by the lack of information, things started unravelling and passengers were forced to help take control of the situation. I soon found myself standing behind the desks of frantic airline staff as a Danish passenger (who was moving to Sydney for two years) and I passed along new boarding tickets from a nearby desk where they were slowly being spat out down to the counter where a sole Qatar Airways employee was processing each new traveller. An Australian woman, who had taken it upon herself to make a list of passenger details and bring some order to the chaos, stood next to worker at the desk facilitating the whole thing. She later told me she has such a bad back that she sometimes requires a wheelchair. "Someone had to step up," she said. As I waited for my boarding pass behind the staff desks watching the queues of desperate travellers, at one point I accidentally lent up against the door setting off an alarm. It spoke to the craziness of the moment that most people barely seemed to notice the extra noise. While the Qatar Airways staff member did an incredible job, there was a severe lack of leadership on the ground and zero proactive communication to stranded customers. Some airport staff appeared more concerned about instructing passengers to delete videos they witnessed them taking of the chaotic scenes inside the airport. Once airspace reopened shortly after midnight on Tuesday (local time) diverted aircraft began returning to the hub. In the words of Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al-Meer in a self-congratulatory statement on Thursday, "each arrival [was] a step towards reassembling our operation." About 36 hours after arriving in Doha, I touched down in Sydney after being one of the lucky passengers to get on the next available flight. According to reports, the missiles that brought the global travel hub to a halt were largely a symbolic act of retribution from Iran against US president Trump's air strikes on nuclear facilities in the country. For some, it was another example of how perhaps no one is immune to the vicissitudes of Donald Trump's return to power and the newly unpredictable nature of the White House and its foreign policy. Due to the Trump administration's brutal border regime which is detaining and deporting people, including an Australian journalist recently, travellers have been warned about preparing themselves for difficulties when entering the US, but those travelling elsewhere can still feel his impact. It must be said the man likes a tax. Usually on his own consumers in the form of a tariff. Trump also wants to tax foreign holders of US assets with a new law contained in the so-called 'big beautiful bill' (something that could hit your superannuation account, although Trump appeared to back away from that on Friday). And as missiles continue to fly in the Middle East and Iran on Friday threatened to keep attacking US bases, perhaps you could call this current airspace instability a kind of Trump travel tax. Myself and countless others paid it in full this week. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
The war ruined my holiday! Influencers and holidaymakers complain missile barrage has left them stranded at airports
Qatar 's decision to close its airspace in response to Iranian missile attacks has sparked global travel chaos - with influencers complaining of being left stranded at airports and on planes. Doha's Hamad International Airport shut for eight hours from yesterday evening, prompting airlines to rush to cancel their flights. It reopened at 1.20am local time, but with international routes now interrupted the disruption will take time to resolve. The barrage of Iranian missiles fired at Al Udeid US military base in Doha in response to American strikes on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend was the latest escalation of tension in the already volatile region. Those who have had their travel plans disrupted include Beth Hassan, a 'running and lifestyle' TikToker who shared a video earlier this morning to say her flight from Sydney to Doha had been called off. 'I'm so stressed - there's been no information given,' she said. 'I've tried to contact the airline but can't get through on the phone or email so don't know what to do. I'm really stressed, somebody help!' Make-up influencer Maddie Wilcox described waking up to hear that their plane from India to Qatar was being diverted with two hours to go before landing due to missiles being fired at its capital. She described the experience as 'scary' and said the plane was heading to Mumbai instead. Tens of thousands of passengers are now stranded across several airports across the Middle East - which happens to be one of the busiest regions for commercial aviation. Qatar Airways posted on X: 'Our focus at this time is to help our passengers return home or reach their onward journey safely and smoothly. We've deployed extra ground staff at Hamad International Airport to support you as we resume operations.' Dozens of flights have been diverted to a variety of destinations including Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai World Central, Jeddah Muscat, Medina and Riyadh. Meanwhile, several planes taking off from Heathrow and West Midlands Airport u-turned in mid-air and returned home or were cancelled before departure. One TikToker, 'marmoves', said she had been stuck on her plane for 'three to four hours' after it was diverted away from Doha to Turkey. Meanwhile, 'clodagh7' said she had been unable to get on a flight out of Brisbane. 'Apparently Doha airport is just chockablock, so I'm going back to Brisbane now,' she said. Several British influencers who are currently living in Dubai said they were leaving following the outbreak of war. Harrison Sullivan wrote: 'The war has kicked off, we have seen the bombs going into Qatar and I am out of here. I'm going straight to Europe where I will continue my hustle for this whole week.' TylerTen10 added: 'Currently stranded in Dubai thanks to Trump. Woke up to hearing all flights cancelled. I am absolutely gutted. I miss home now. Cheers Trump.' Other social media users expressed their concerns about the impact of the conflict on their relatives in the Middle East. TikToker uminehaax described how her family were 'stuck' in Qatar during the bombing. She told followers: 'Things just don't seem to be getting better for me at the moment. You might have heard about the strikes that have happened between Iran and the US. 'Well I moved to Qatar when I was about 12 and we've lived there for eight, nine years. My mum is still there.... This is incredibly scary, nothing like this has ever happened - Qatar has never been involved in any conflict like this on this scale. 'My mum is absolutely distraught, she was sending us lots of videos of missiles flying over where we live.' Airlines scrambled to cancel flights and reroute planes yesterday after news of the attacks on the Al Udeid US military base in Doha first emerged. Officials were told the attack in advance and it did not kill or injure anyone. The escalating tensions are starting to affect airlines beyond the Middle East, where major flight routes have already been cut off since Israel began strikes on Iran on June 13. Yesterday, Air India said it would suspend flights to and from eastern North America and Europe as those routes use what has become an increasingly narrow path between those destinations and the Indian subcontinent. After briefly closing their airspace, Bahrain and Kuwait both reopened them. Dubai Airports said its operations had resumed after a brief suspension, though it warned of delays or cancellations on social media site X. The conflict has already cut off major flight routes to typically resilient aviation hubs such as Dubai, with the world's busiest international airport, and Qatar's capital of Doha. The usually busy airspace stretching from Iran and Iraq to the Mediterranean this morning resembled a ghost town, devoid of commercial air traffic due to the airspace closures and safety concerns. Air India said yesterday it had stopped all operations to the Middle East, but also flights to North America's east coast and Europe. This included diverting flights already in the air back to their takeoff site, and away from closed airspaces. 'It's terrifying,' said Miret Padovani, a business owner who was stranded at Doha's Hamad International Airport. She was booked on a Qatar Airways flight to Thailand scheduled to leave late yesterday, but cancelled her trip and is now planning on returning home to Dubai early today. 'Everything happened so quick. I actually heard from people in the first class lounge that the missiles were being sent this way before they were even in the news.' According to aviation analytics company Cirium, about two dozen flights to Doha, mostly from Qatar Airways, were diverted yesterday, and about a handful of flights to Dubai were diverted due to the airspace closures. Kuwait Airways yesterday suspended its flight departures from the country, while UAE's Etihad Airways was rerouting flights today. IAG's Spanish airline Iberia scrapped a plan from earlier in the day to resume flights to Doha today after the latest airspace closures. With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed to most airlines due to years of war, the Middle East has become a more important route for flights between Europe and Asia. Amid missile and air strikes during the past 10 days, airlines have routed north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Carriers have likely been avoiding Doha, Dubai and other airports in the region due to concerns that Iran or its proxies could target drone or missile attacks on US military bases in these countries, aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions said.
Express Tribune
22-04-2025
- Express Tribune
Pakistani TikToker Mr Patlo reportedly arrested in Dubai
Listen to article Popular Pakistani TikToker Mr Patlo has reportedly been arrested at Dubai International Airport during a layover en route to Qatar, where he was scheduled to attend a digital influencers' event in Doha. The incident has sparked widespread discussion online, though no official statement has been issued by UAE authorities or Mr Patlo's legal representatives. The influencer, known for his extravagant lifestyle and TikTok live sessions, was reportedly detained before boarding his connecting flight. According to unverified claims circulating online, some of Mr Patlo's fans are believed to have created and distributed digitally manipulated videos targeting a female content creator and her family. The alleged victim, believed to be based in Dubai, may have filed a complaint with authorities, potentially prompting the arrest. Mr Patlo was invited to the event in Doha by fellow influencer Rajab Butt, who shared an emotional response on social media. 'He didn't want to come at first due to some licensing and meeting issues,' Rajab said. 'But I convinced him—and within minutes, he agreed.' The situation escalated when the individual sent to receive Mr Patlo at Doha Airport realised he never arrived. It was later discovered that he had been detained in Dubai. In his statement, Rajab condemned the actions of individuals misusing technology. 'You made AI videos involving someone's sister or daughter… and now Patlo is paying the price,' he said, defending his friend and calling for responsibility in the digital space. Rajab expressed hope for Patlo's release, saying, 'InshaAllah, he'll be out tomorrow. I believe everything will be fine.' This article relies on information circulating on social media, as no official comments have been made by UAE authorities or Mr Patlo's legal team so far.
