Nigerians attempting to travel to or from Qatar, Israel, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates have been stranded following the ongoing United States and Israel war against Iran.
Punch reports that the situation has forced carriers, including Air France, Air India, Turkish Airlines, Norwegian, Air Algerie, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Lufthansa to announce mass flight cancellations.
After the airstrikes against Iran, the latter attacked US military bases in Qatar, Kuwait Bahrain, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, among others.
Passengers attempting to travel through Qatar Airways outbound from Nigeria were stopped from flying on Saturday morning.
Airspaces shut
Sunday PUNCH gathered that to a large extent, flights across Middle East countries were cancelled on Saturday, as several countries shut their airspaces after the US, Israel and Iran launched attacks and counterattacks.
The civil aviation authority said Syria closed part of its airspace in the south along the border with Israel for 12 hours.
Nigerian passengers stuck
Earlier on Saturday, passengers who were already onboard a Qatar Airways flight told Sunday PUNCH that the airline deboarded all passengers over claims that the airspace in Doha had been closed.
One of them said, “I had planned so many things around this trip. Suddenly, they announced that the airport in Doha is not responding, and honestly, I don’t even understand what that means. I’m wondering if they can reroute us through another destination without passing through Doha. This situation is really painful.”
Another passenger, who was travelling with a family member, said, “With this development, only God knows when my sister will be able to return to school. We understand this is a genuine situation, but it is really painful.”
The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, in a statement on Saturday, warned that ongoing restrictions were affecting international flight operations to and from Nigeria.
According to the agency, several scheduled flights linking Nigerian airports with Middle Eastern destinations have either been cancelled or delayed as airlines adjust routes to avoid conflict zones.
FAAN advised affected passengers to maintain direct communication with their airlines for updated information.
The statement partly read, “Passengers affected by these disruptions are strongly advised to contact their respective airlines directly for up-to-date information on flight status, rebooking options and further guidance.”
Punch
