Six airlines stop flying passengers to Qatar over diplomatic crisis

In an upshot of a diplomatic row, six airlines have suspended their flights to Qatar with which three Gulf Arab states and Egypt have broken their relations.

Saudi Arabian Airlines, Emirates, Etihad, Air Arabia, Fly Dubai and Gulf Air have suspended all their flights to Qatar after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, UAE and Bahrain cut their diplomatic ties on Monday.

Flights of those airlines operating from Dhaka have also been suspended for an indefinite period.

However, Qatar Airways flights between Dhaka and Doha, and Bangladesh Biman Airlines’ Doha flights are operating as usual.

Earlier, announcing the closure of transport ties with Qatar, the three Gulf states gave Qatari visitors and residents two weeks to leave.

Qatar was also expelled from the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.

The four countries cut off ties with Qatar accusing the peninsular Arab country of supporting terrorism that is destabilising the region.

Iran -- long at odds with Saudi Arabia and a behind-the-scenes target of the move -- immediately blamed US President Donald Trump for setting the stage during his recent trip to Riyadh.

Gulf Arab states and Egypt have long resented Qatar's support for Islamists, especially the Muslim Brotherhood which they regard as a dangerous political enemy.

The coordinated move, with Yemen and Libya's eastern-based government joining in later, created a dramatic rift among the Arab nations, many of which are in OPEC.

A Reuters report said Saudi Arabia also banned Qatar Airways from using its air space resulting in the suspension of all QA flights to the kingdom.

At Dhaka’s Shahjalal International Airport, the manager of Etihad Airways confirmed that all Etihad flights from Dhaka to Qatar’s capital Doha have been suspended.

“All our Doha-bound flights have been cancelled for an indefinite period,” said Al Mahmud Shamim.

Representatives of Saudi Arabian Airlines and Air Arabia also confirmed suspension of Doha flights.

Shakil Meraj, a general manager (public relations) of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, told bdnews24.com that the Biman flights to Doha would continue and “passengers from other airlines may choose Biman for their journey".