SEPANG, June 24 — Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed several Malaysian flights to the Middle East have been cancelled following airstrikes on a United States military base in Qatar today.
He said a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) had been issued following concerns over the safety of aircraft flying over the region during the airstrikes.
“The NOTAM was issued because there was a war conflict... so of course there is a risk to air travel.
“No airline can fly through that airspace because it is closed,” he told a press conference here.
Following the development, Loke said airlines have been told to take mitigation measures to ensure flight safety and passenger well-being are not jeopardised.
“These mitigation measures include providing temporary accommodation while waiting for airspace to reopen,” he said.
Loke also noted that the situation had disrupted flight paths to Europe, with airlines forced to avoid the Middle East corridor.
“Many airlines are now using longer, alternative routes via northern airspace, including over Afghanistan. This shift began as early as two weeks ago,” he explained.
The airspace closures followed a large-scale missile strike by Iran on the US military’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar yesterday.
The attack came in retaliation for a US airstrike on Sunday, which targeted three Iranian nuclear facilities, namely Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan, marking a sharp escalation in regional hostilities.
Several Arab countries responded by temporarily closing their airspace late yesterday as a precautionary measure amid heightened tensions.
However, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have since reopened their airspace and resumed normal flight operations.
A check by Bernama at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport found that flight departures to the Middle East have resumed.
As at 4pm today, no new cancellations were reported, although some flights experienced delays, including Qatar Airways flight QR845 to Doha, initially scheduled for 8.20pm.
Earlier, Malaysia Airlines cancelled two flights to Doha — MH164 and MH160R — believed to be due to the temporary airspace closure over the region.
— Bernama
