Journeys to the airport have become a complicated undertaking for many Gulf travelers, often involving crossing into a neighboring country where airspace remains open. In the interests of keeping planes running and revenues coming in, some airlines are moving over the border too.
Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways has started operating from Saudi Arabia’s Qaisumah Hafar Al Batin International Airport — a three-hour drive from downtown Kuwait — from where passengers can fly to Egypt, Jordan, Sri Lanka, Türkiye, and the UAE. Kuwait Airways and Bahrain’s Gulf Air have opted for the larger King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, offering flights within the region and to Africa, Asia, and Europe.
With airlines still running at reduced levels, some are also moving unwanted planes well out of harm’s way. More than a dozen Qatar Airways jets are parked up at a remote airfield in Spain. Others have been caught in the crossfire. Planes belonging to Emirates and Saudia were hit during a strike on Dubai International Airport early in the conflict, The Wall Street Journal reported.