Qatar partially reopens airspace as Iranian strikes continue to hit Gulf

Evacuation and cargo flights to resume but scheduled services still suspended as US-Israeli war on Iran continues.Published On 6 Mar 2026Qatar has partially reopened its airspace days after Iranian missile and drone strikes forced the country to ground all flights as a United States-Israeli military campaign against Iran continues into its seventh day.The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announced the limited opening on Friday evening, saying flights would operate through “designated navigational contingency routes with limited operational capacity” in coordination with the Qatari armed forces.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3What the world is getting wrong about what Iranians thinklist 2 of 3US and Israel attacking Iran at ‘record pace’, war monitor sayslist 3 of 3Strikes on Iran to last ‘four to six weeks’, White House saysend of listThe move marks a cautious first step towards restoring air links to one of the Gulf’s most important aviation hubs but falls well short of a return to normality, with scheduled commercial flights to and from Doha remaining suspended until a further official announcement is made.The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority said the partial reopening covers only a narrow category of flights “designated for passenger evacuation” and air cargo services.Passengers with confirmed bookings were urged to follow updates from their airlines directly before travelling to the airport.Early on Saturday, Qatar-airways" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="9734" data-entity-type="organization">Qatar Airways said it “intends to operate repatriation flights on 07 March, departing Hamad International Airport to the following airports: London (LHR), Paris (CDG), Madrid (MAD), Rome (FCO), Frankfurt (FRA)”.It added that priority would be given to “stranded passengers with families, elderly passengers, and those with urgent medical and compassionate travel needs”.Qatar initially closed its airspace on February 28, citing “precautionary measures” taken in response to “the latest developments in the region” and a need to guarantee “the highest levels of safety and security for all flights”.