Daijiworld Media Network – Panaji
Panaji, Jun 24: Travel between Goa and several Gulf countries has been severely disrupted after Iran launched missiles at the US military base in Qatar on Monday night, triggering a swift response from regional powers. Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates have all shut their airspace, affecting hundreds of passengers flying to and from Goa.
Flights operated by Qatar Airways (Mopa–Doha), Air Arabia (Mopa–Sharjah), Gulf Air (Dabolim–Bahrain), and Air India Express (Dabolim–Dubai) have been impacted. With the closure of air corridors, airlines have begun diverting or cancelling flights as the geopolitical crisis escalates in West Asia.
A Qatar Airways flight (QR989) from Melbourne to Doha was diverted and made an unscheduled landing at Manohar International Airport in Mopa at 1 am. The Boeing 777-3DZ(ER) was among the many international flights rerouted due to the sudden airspace closures.
Globally, flights with transit stops or routes over the Gulf region are also facing cancellations and delays. According to Travel and Tour World, airlines and tour operators are now scrambling to adjust travel itineraries, manage financial fallout, and deal with the uncertainty.
The cascading impact was also felt at Cochin International Airport, where several flights were delayed, diverted or cancelled late Monday night. An Air India Express flight departing at 6:53 pm from Kochi was diverted to Muscat, while its scheduled Doha-bound flight at 12:53 am Tuesday was cancelled.
A Qatar Airways flight scheduled to land in Cochin at 2:53 am was delayed, affecting its return leg. An Air Arabia flight to Abu Dhabi and an Etihad Airways service from Cochin were also delayed or returned to base due to operational restrictions.
Air India Express, which runs 25 weekly flights to Doha from Kannur, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, and Tiruchchirappalli, issued a statement saying that none of its aircraft were currently in Qatar. “We are closely monitoring the situation and taking all necessary precautions in consultation with authorities,” it said.
The sudden closure of Gulf airspace due to the heightened Iran-US tensions has left passengers, airlines, and travel operators grappling with uncertainty, as the situation in the Middle East continues to unfold.