Major airlines have offered to refund thousands of customers after flights were cancelled in and out of Qatar‘s airspace on Tuesday due to the Iran-Israel conflict.

The State of Qatar made the call to shut down its airspace after Iran fired missiles at the United States’ Al Udeid air base in Qatar on Monday. 

The closure only lasted a few hours, but it was long enough to cause a backlog at Doha Hamad International Airport, which is one of the world’s ten busiest airports.

Qantas, Emirates, Virgin Australia, Etihad, British Airways and Singapore Airlines were all impacted.

Qatar Airways, which runs its global operation out of the Doha Airport, and connects to more than 170 destinations, was most affected.

Qatar Airways said customers keen to change their travel dates could do so without paying a fee until July 15.

‘Customers who no longer wish to travel can opt to receive a refund of the unused value of their tickets, without any cancellation fee being applied,’ the company said in a statement.

Passengers can check qatarairways.com or the Qatar Airways app for updated flight information. 

Qantas said it would offer flexibility to passengers who booked a flight from or via Dubai up to June 27.

‘If you wish to change your booking or no longer wish to travel, we’re offering a fee-free refund, flight credit or fee-free date change for flights booked before June 23 for travel to June 27, 2025,’ a Qantas statement read.

‘If you’ve booked directly with Qantas, contact us on 13 13 13 within Australia, or contact your local Qantas office if you’re outside of Australia, for assistance.

‘If you’ve booked through a travel agent, please contact your agent directly for assistance.’

The airline’s Perth to Paris flight on Tuesday had to turn back, while its Perth to London service was rerouted to Singapore.

Emirates said on Tuesday it changed a number of flights en route to its base in Dubai on June 23, but there were no diversions.

The airline was working to help passengers with rebooking, refunds, and other travel arrangements.

Virgin Australia said planned services to and from Doha, operated by Qatar Airways, were expected to operate on Wednesday.

But the airline was offering free booking changes or cancellations to guests who no longer wished to travel and were booked on Virgin Australia’s Doha services, up to and including June 30.

British Airways suspended all flights between London and Doha until June 25.

Flights to Dubai have operated normally and British Airways was offering rebooking options for affected passengers.

Customers booked on flights to either Dubai or Doha until June 29 can change their travel dates free of charge to any flight up until July 13.

Singapore Airlines cancelled eight flights to Dubai from Sunday through to Wednesday.

‘Customers affected by the flight cancellations will be re-accommodated on alternative flights or can seek a full refund of the unused portion of their ticket,’ a Singapore Airlines statement read.

Etihad flights were operating as scheduled, but flights were suspended between Abu Dhabi and Tel Aviv until July 15. 

Despite the offerings from the airlines, the Australian Travel Industry Association (ATIA) advised Aussie travellers not to cancel their flights.

‘The one thing we learned through Covid is don’t cancel as it reduces the number of rights you have. Let the airline make that decision. This approach ensures your rights are protected and you get the support you need,’ ATIA CEO Dean Long said.

‘If your airline cancels the flight, you are entitled to a full refund or rebooking. But if you cancel yourself, you could lose those rights entirely.’