Qatar Airways flights: Major airlines including Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Qantas issue refund message after flights cancelled
Major airlines have issued an important message on refunds after flights were cancelled due to the war between Israel and Iran.
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 caused a backlog at Doha Hamad International Airport, which is one of the world's ten busiest airports.
Qantas, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Virgin Australia, Etihad, British Airways and Singapore Airlines were all impacted. Qatar Airways said customers keen to change their travel dates could do so without paying a fee until July 15.
The company said: “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”. 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. It said: “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.
“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.”
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.
Singapore Airlines cancelled eight flights to Dubai from Sunday through to Wednesday. It said: “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”.