Tired, anxious: Travellers to Singapore among thousands stranded in Doha airport amid Israel-Iran conflict

SINGAPORE: Singapore-bound passengers were among thousands of travellers stranded at Hamad International Airport in Doha on Tuesday (Jun 24) after the temporary closure of several countries' airspace.

Qatar, Bahrain, and Kuwait temporarily shut their airspace late on Monday after Iran's strike on a US military base in Qatar's capital Doha, forcing airlines to cancel or reroute hundreds of flights and creating a backlog of stranded passengers.

Four passengers travelling to Singapore told CNA that there was no clear indication when they would be able to get another flight. They said they had not been provided with any accommodation arrangements. 

Ms Melodie Yip, who had been transiting at the airport, was meant to fly out of Doha on Monday night on Qatar Airways, but her flight was cancelled. 

After queuing for around eight hours to rebook another flight that was meant to depart this afternoon, she later learnt that this flight had been cancelled as well. 

She is waiting for another flight to leave the country, but said she does not expect to get a flight on Tuesday night.

“When I heard the second flight was cancelled, I was very, very anxious because I didn't want to go through that … eight-hour queue again,” she said. 

However, she said that she had found some comfort in the other Singaporeans who were in the queue with her. 

Ms Yip said she expected to get a flight on Wednesday and hoped it would not be cancelled again.

“If it's tomorrow, I'm hoping that they will also give us some like hotel stay, or at least some sort of accommodation,” she said. 

"I think Hamad International Airport and Qatar Airways were not prepared for such a crisis, which is unexpected for a world-class, award-winning airline and airport," she added. 

Mr Shariff Raffi was supposed to be on a 2.30am Qatar Airways flight to Singapore on Tuesday. The airline delayed the flight to 6am before ultimately cancelling it, he said.

"Receiving news of the cancellation broke most of our spirit. I felt vexed as well when I realised a flight was cancelled when we thought it wasn't going to be cancelled."

He said he has been awake for more than 36 hours and is constantly checking the flight information board for updates.

“Most of us are running (on) adrenaline and emotion. I choose to step up and help the group (of Singaporeans) where I can, and since I'm a bit more familiar with this airport.”

Virgin Australia estimated that over 25,000 passengers were stranded at Doha airport.

Around 250 flights were cancelled at Hamad airport, while another 238 were delayed, according to flight tracking website FlightRadar24.

Another Qatar Airways passenger, who only wanted to be known as Ms Chian, had her early Tuesday morning flight cancelled.

On Tuesday afternoon, she saw a group of about 30 passengers gathered around the airline's service desk to get updates on flights.

However, security guards told the group to disperse when other international travellers waiting in line started complaining about the group holding up the queue. 

Ms Chian said that she was feeling “very tired and uncertain” and there has been no indication when she might get a flight home to Singapore.

The flight timings on Qatar Airways' app have also not been accurate, she added. 

“There are people here who are very frustrated,” she said. 

Another Qatar Airways passenger, who wanted to be known only as Ms Teo, said she was exhausted and felt "helpless" as she was stuck in a long queue to get a replacement flight.

She told CNA there were at least 100 people in front of her in the queue, and just one staff member working.

Qatar Airways told CNA on Tuesday morning that its focus was on helping passengers on their journeys following the reopening of the airspace in Qatar.

It said it was working with government stakeholders and other authorities to restore operations "as quickly as possible".

"We have also deployed additional ground staff at Hamad International Airport and other key airports to assist affected passengers by minimising disruptions and offering the utmost care and support to all customers. As operations resume, we anticipate significant delays to our flight schedule," it added.

Passengers were asked to check the airline's website or mobile app ahead of travel.

AVIATION WOES

Airlines scrambled to cancel flights and reroute planes on Monday after several Middle Eastern nations closed their countries' airspace temporarily as Iran attacked the Al Udeid US military base in Doha.

The US had attacked key Iranian nuclear sites the day before. 

The escalating tensions are affecting airlines beyond the Middle East, where major flight routes have already been cut off since Israel began strikes on Iran on Jun 13.

Singapore budget carrier Scoot said on Tuesday that it had cancelled two flights between Singapore and Jeddah in Saudi Arabia on Monday, and later called off another two flights scheduled for Thursday.

Middle Eastern nations, including Qatar, gradually reopened their airspace after the announcement of a ceasefire that both countries have been accused of breaching.

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 Israel-Iran conflict, airlines have routed north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia.