How the Qatar crisis could affect your travel plans

After UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt broke off all ties with Qatar on Monday, at least six Gulf-based airlines, including the popular Emirates and Etihad, stated they will no longer fly to Doha or even use the country's airspace. 

And with Saudi and Bahrain closing their airspace for flights to and fro Qatar and the UAE asking for prior permission from Indian carriers for the same, the travel time from Indian cities to Doha is set to increase considerably, claims a Times of India report.

Also read: Emirates, Etihad retaliate to Qatar Airway's flight 'suspension' move?

The diplomatic crisis in Qatar would not only affect your pre-booked flights to and fro Doha but also the ones to Europe and US, if you were planning to fly Qatar Airways. Let's take a more detailed look at the situation.

If the UAE does not allow Indian carriers to cross over its airspace, flight services from Mumbai and other South India cities like Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode will have to take  much longer route - fly north over the Arabian Sea, enter Iran and fly straight over the Persian Gulf - to reach Doha. This could increase the travel time up to an hour. However, flights from north Indian cities like Delhi will not be affected as they fly over Pakistan and then enter Iran.

Also read: Why Indian expats need not panic over Qatar situation

Currently three Indian carriers - Air India, Jet Airways and IndiGo - and Qatar Airways fly between India and Doha. Jet Airways has five daily flights between Doha and Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode. Air India has a daily flight between Doha and Kozhikode, four times a week from Mumbai and thrice a week from Mangalore. IndiGo has a daily flight from Delhi and Mumbai and were planning to start one from Kozhikode in July. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways has flights to and fro 13 destinations in India, including all metros.

Also read: Five reasons why Saudi, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar

Then there are passengers from India who use Qatar Airways to travel to Europe or the US. Qatar Airways has been one of the most popular airlines for Indians travelling abroad. But with UAE banning Qatar-registered planes from its airspace, flights between Doha and the West will have to take a longer route via Iran, which could increase the travel time by around two hours
 

• Qatar
• Qatar diplomatic crisis
• Qatar Airways