A flight from Manchester Airport to Doha is diverting back to the UK – after Iran launched attacks against a US base in Qatar.

QTR36R had reached the Turkish coast when it was diverted following the latest Middle Eastern clashes.

It was due to land back in Manchester at 10.45pm – after departing just before 3.30pm. It had been due to land in Qatar just before 1am on Tuesday morning when it was turned back.

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In a statement, a Qatar Airways spokesperson said: “Temporary Suspension of Qatar Airways Flights. As a result of the closure of air traffic movement in the State of Qatar, we can confirm the temporary suspension of Qatar Airways flights.

The aircraft is returning to Manchester -Credit:FlightRadar24

“We are working closely with government stakeholders and the relevant authorities to support any passengers that have been impacted, and will resume operations when the airspace re-opens. The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority.”

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Iran announced on state television that it had attacked forces stationed at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base, in retaliation to America’s strikes on its nuclear programme.

Armed forces minister Luke Pollard said the UK was monitoring the “fast-changing situation” closely and that “the UK Government utterly condemns any escalation”.

“Force protection now is at its highest state across all deployed units in the Middle East,” he told the Commons.

“The additional RAF Typhoon jets announced by the Prime Minister have now arrived in the region to reinforce our posture, deter threats and reassure our partners, and I want to be clear, we will not rule out sending further capabilities if they are required,” he said.

The Foreign Office had advised British nationals in Qatar to “shelter in place” after a US security alert.

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Qatar, which had earlier shut its air space temporarily, said it successfully intercepted the missiles and no casualties were reported.

A base in Iraq housing US troops was also targeted, but Iran did not claim credit for that attack.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy had urged Iran to “take the off ramp” and return to the negotiating table with the US.

His plea came after an air raid by American B-2 stealth bombers and a salvo of submarine-launched missiles hit Iran’s nuclear facilities on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, the UK has started evacuating Britons from Israel, with the first group of 63 flown back via Cyprus and due to return to the UK on Monday.

“On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both Countries, Israel and Iran, on having the Stamina, Courage, and Intelligence to end, what should be called, “THE 12 DAY WAR,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

However neither Iran nor Israel has publicly confirmed they have accepted Trump’s ceasefire timeline.

Earlier in the day, Trump thanked Iran for giving the United States advance notice of the coming missile strike on America’s Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.

The notice, he wrote on social media, “made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured.”

That finding helped inform the U.S. Embassy in Doha’s decision to lift a shelter-in-place order issued ahead of the attack.

Qatar reopened its civil airspace just six hours after the attack.

U.S. stock market indexes closed higher Monday on optimism that Iran’s retaliation for U.S. bombings of its nuclear facilities would be limited to the missile attack.

Likewise, oil prices fell as traders breathed a sigh of relief after days of concerns that a broader conflict could force tankers to avoid vital shipping lanes like the Strait of Hormuz.

CNBC reporters are covering the Middle East conflict on air and online, reporting from Washington, D.C., London, Dubai, San Francisco and Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

The flight had reached the Turkish coast when it was diverted following the latest Middle Eastern clashes, which saw Iran launch missile strikes on a US military base

The Qatar Airways flight is heading back to Manchester (Image: Getty Images for Virgin Australia )

A flight from Manchester Airport bound for Doha is diverting back to the UK following Iran’s attack on a US base in Qatar. The QTR36R had reached the Turkish coast when it was diverted due to the escalating conflict in the Middle East.

At the time of writing, the Qatar Airways flight is heading back over Eastern Europe’s Balkans region. In an official statement, a Qatar Airways spokesperson said: “Temporary Suspension of Qatar Airways Flights As a result of the closure of air traffic movement in the State of Qatar, we can confirm the temporary suspension of Qatar Airways flights.

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“We are working closely with government stakeholders and the relevant authorities to support any passengers that have been impacted, and will resume operations when the airspace re-opens. The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority,” reports the Manchester Evening News.

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Iran declared on state television it had targeted forces at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base, in response to America’s strikes on its nuclear programme.

The aircraft is returning to Manchester (Image: FlightRadar24 )

Luke Pollard, the Armed Forces Minister, stated the UK is keeping a close eye on the rapidly evolving situation, condemning any escalation.

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“Force protection now is at its highest state across all deployed units in the Middle East,” he informed the Commons.

“The additional RAF Typhoon jets announced by the Prime Minister have now arrived in the region to reinforce our posture, deter threats and reassure our partners, and I want to be clear, we will not rule out sending further capabilities if they are required,” he announced.

Following a security alert from the US, the Foreign Office has recommended that British nationals in Qatar “shelter in place”.

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Qatar, having briefly closed its airspace, reported that it intercepted the missiles successfully with no casualties suffered.

A base in Iraq occupied by American forces also came under attack, but this assault has not been acknowledged by Iran as their handiwork.

David Lammy, the Foreign Secretary, appealed to Iran to “take the off ramp” and re-engage in discussions with the United States.

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Lammy’s call follows a concerted strike on Iran’s nuclear infrastructures involving American B-2 stealth bombers and an array of submarine-launched missiles on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, the UK has begun evacuating British citizens from Israel, with the first group of 63 evacuees flown back via Cyprus and due to land back in the UK on Monday.

Companies Airlines reroute flights due to Middle East airspace closures

Air India ceases operations in region, will stop flights to eastern North America, Europe

N. American, European carriers cancel flights to Gulf

GPS interference and airspace risks increase for airlines

June 23 (Reuters) – Airlines scrambled to cancel flights and reroute planes on Monday after several Middle Eastern nations closed their countries’ airspace temporarily as Iran attacked the Al Udeid U.S. military base in Doha, the latest upheaval to air travel in a normally busy region.

On Sunday, the U.S. attacked key Iranian nuclear sites and Tehran responded on Monday by firing several missiles at the U.S. base without killing or injuring anyone.

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The escalating tensions are starting to affect airlines beyond the Middle East, where major flight routes have already been cut off since Israel began strikes on Iran on June 13. On Monday, Air India said it would suspend flights to and from eastern North America and Europe as those routes use what has become an increasingly narrow path between those destinations and the Indian subcontinent.

After briefly closing their airspace, Bahrain and Kuwait both reopened them, according to state news media. Dubai Airports said its operations had resumed after a brief suspension, though it warned of delays or cancellations on social media site X. Qatar also closed its airspace.

The conflict has already cut off major flight routes to typically resilient aviation hubs such as Dubai, with the world’s busiest international airport, and Qatar’s capital of Doha. The usually busy airspace stretching from Iran and Iraq to the Mediterranean resembles a ghost town, devoid of commercial air traffic due to the airspace closures and safety concerns

Air India said on Monday it had stopped all operations to the Middle East, but also flights to North America’s east coast and Europe. This included diverting flights already in the air back to their takeoff site, and away from closed airspaces.

“It’s terrifying,” said Miret Padovani, a business owner who was stranded at Doha’s Hamad International Airport. She was booked on a Qatar Airways flight to Thailand scheduled to leave late Monday, but cancelled her trip and is now planning on returning home to Dubai early on Tuesday.

“Everything happened so quick. I actually heard from people in the first class lounge that the missiles were being sent this way before they were even in the news.”

According to aviation analytics company Cirium, about two dozen flights to Doha, mostly from Qatar Airways, were diverted on Monday, and about a handful of flights to Dubai were diverted due to the airspace closures.

Kuwait Airways suspended on Monday its flight departures from the country, while UAE’s Etihad Airways was rerouting flights on Monday and Tuesday.

Aircraft belonging to Israel’s state carrier El Al and Israir among other airlines, are parked at Larnaca International Airport, in Larnaca, Cyprus June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

IAG’s (ICAG.L) , opens new tab Spanish airline Iberia scrapped a plan from earlier in the day to resume flights to Doha on Tuesday after the latest airspace closures.

With Russian and Ukrainian airspace also closed to most airlines due to years of war, the Middle East has become a more important route for flights between Europe and Asia. Amid missile and air strikes during the past 10 days, airlines have routed north via the Caspian Sea or south via Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Carriers have likely been avoiding Doha, Dubai and other airports in the region due to concerns that Iran or its proxies could target drone or missile attacks on U.S. military bases in these countries, aviation risk consultancy Osprey Flight Solutions said.

SUSPENSIONS

Earlier in the day, airlines had been weighing how long to suspend flights. Finnair (FIA1S.HE) , opens new tab was the first to announce a prolonged suspension of flights to Doha, with cancellations until June 30.

Air France also cancelled flights to Riyadh and said it would suspend flights to and from Beirut, Lebanon until Wednesday.

Proliferating conflict zones are an increasing operational burden on airlines as aerial attacks raise worries about accidental or deliberate shoot-downs of commercial air traffic.

GPS interference around political hotspots, where ground-based GPS systems “spoof” or broadcast incorrect positions which can send commercial airliners off course, are also a growing issue for commercial aviation. SkAI, a Swiss company that runs a GPS disruption map, said late on Sunday it had observed more than 150 aircraft spoofed over the Persian Gulf in 24 hours.

Reporting by Menna Alaaeldin in Cairo, Allison Lampert in Montreal, Aditya Kalra in New Delhi, Federico Maccioni in Dubai, David Shepardson in Washington, Doyinsola Oladipo and Jack Queen in New York, Lisa Barrington in Seoul, and Peter Henderson in San Francisco; additional reporting by Inti Landauro in Madrid; Writing by Josephine Mason in London and David Gaffen in New York; Editing by Sonali Paul, Kate Mayberry, Louise Heavens and Richard Chang

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Flight QTR36R had got as far as the Turkish coast when it was told to return following the latest Middle Eastern clashes. Currently the Qatar Airways flight is heading back over the Balkans in the Eastern Europe. In a statement, a Qatar Airways said: “Temporary Suspension of Qatar Airways Flights. As a result of the closure of air traffic movement in the State of Qatar, we can confirm the temporary suspension of Qatar Airways flights.

“We are working closely with government stakeholders and the relevant authorities to support any passengers that have been impacted, and will resume operations when the airspace re-opens. The safety of our passengers and crew remains our highest priority.”

Iran announced on state television that it had attacked forces stationed at Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base, in retaliation to America’s strikes on its nuclear programme.

Armed forces minister Luke Pollard said the UK was monitoring the “fast-changing situation” closely and that “the UK Government utterly condemns any escalation”.

He told the House of Commons: “Force protection now is at its highest state across all deployed units in the Middle East. The additional RAF Typhoon jets announced by the Prime Minister have now arrived in the region to reinforce our posture, deter threats and reassure our partners, and I want to be clear, we will not rule out sending further capabilities if they are required.”

The Foreign Office had advised British nationals in Qatar to “shelter in place” after a US security alert. Qatar, which had earlier shut its air space temporarily, said it successfully intercepted the missiles and no casualties were reported.

A base in Iraq housing US troops was also targeted, but Iran did not claim responsibility for that attack. Foreign Secretary David Lammy had urged Iran to “take the off ramp” and return to the negotiating table with the US.

His plea came after an air raid by American B-2 stealth bombers and a salvo of submarine-launched missiles hit Iran’s nuclear facilities on Saturday night. Meanwhile, the UK has started evacuating Britons from Israel, with the first group of 63 flown back via Cyprus and due to return to the UK on Monday.