The ceasefire announced by US President Trump in the mutual missile exchanges between Israel and Iran, although still precarious, is gradually leading to the reopening of Middle Eastern skies on 24 June 2025. It marks a first positive sign following twelve days of military escalation that culminated in Iran’s missile strike on a US base in Qatar on 23 June, an attack that forced the closure of airspace in Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait and led to numerous cancellations of both passenger and cargo flights.
The reopening of airspace allowed national carriers to resume operations during the night between 23 and 24 June. The airports of Doha and Dubai, among the busiest in the world, are once again operational, albeit under enhanced precautionary measures. Bahrain and Kuwait airports have also resumed activities, but foreign airlines remain cautious, with many flights still cancelled or rerouted.
Qatar Airways, the national carrier which handles over 80 per cent of traffic at Doha’s Hamad International Airport, has restarted services, deploying additional ground staff to support the restart. Emirates, the largest international airline by passenger traffic, has confirmed it is operating again, using alternative routes to avoid conflict zones. Other airlines, however, have yet to resume flights to the Persian Gulf. Japan Airlines, for instance, has suspended services to Doha at least until 27 June, while British Airways continues to cancel its routes to Qatar. On the morning of 24 June, tracking site Flightradar24 still showed the skies over Iran, Iraq and Syria completely empty, whereas aircraft had returned to the skies above Jordan, Israel and Lebanon, which had remained clear in the previous days.
