UPDATE: 8th June
The situation amongst the Gulf Countries has worsened in the last few days. Here are the important developments to be aware of:
- All Qatar Airways flights to and from the UAE have been cancelled, impacting expatriates and tourist planning to use Qatar Airways for their traveling to and from the UAE and Saudi Arabia, including families returning home at the end of the school year.
- All Qatar Airways offices are now closed in Saudi Arabia and UAE
- Qatar Airways is offering full refunds or re-booking with code share airlines for all cancelled flights.
- The Qatari news channel, Al Jazeera, license has been revoked in Saudi Arabia and Jordan
- Anyone holding a Qatari resident visa is now banned from entering the UAE
However, the impact on the daily life of Qatar resident is limited as of today, the crisis impacting mostly transportation and diplomatic ties. Gas and food supply in Qatar are not affected.
Intouch Relocations is monitoring the situation daily and will provide updates as and when the required.
5th June 2017
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and UAE have cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of creating instability in the region.
This has resulted in all flights between Qatar and the six countries being cancelled until further notice.
It is difficult to predict how this political situation will play out, and the impact this action will have in the region. We will be watching the situation closely, but in the meantime, we would like to alert our customers to how they may be impacted in the short term:
For expatriates living outside Qatar:
- If a flight has been booked on Qatar Airways to travel to any of the 6 above-mentioned countries, chances are that it will be cancelled. Many expats living in the UAE are using Qatar Airways, transiting through Doha as it represents an alternative to Emirates or Etihad Airlines. This happens at a very busy time in the region with many families travelling back home for the summer.
- All business-related travel between the UAE and Doha will be suspended. Many businesses have employees commuting on a regular basis to or from Doha to other GCC countries.
- Qatari expats residing in one of these countries have 14 days to leave the country.
- Travel options will be limited as all Middle East airlines have cancelled their
Doha bound flights and all flights out of Doha will have to use a route that does not cross the airspace of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya and UAE which has become closed airspace. This will have a significant impact on travel due to the busy summer season. - Qatar may experience food shortage as its only land border has been closed
- Even though there is no significant risk for expatriates living in the region now, including Qatar, it is difficult to predict how the situation will develop, and the logistic challenges will potentially impact travelling plans of our customers.