Gulf Arab rift: UAE's Etihad airways to suspend operations to Qatar as 4 nations cut off diplomatic ties to Doha

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways on Monday said that it would suspend flights to Qatar after the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was among major Gulf States to sever ties with Doha in an unprecedented regional crisis.

Etihad said flights would stop today after the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain said they would cut all air, land and sea links with Qatar within 24 hours. Etihad, which operates four return flights to Doha daily, said the measure will be in place “until further notice”.

Other carriers from the three Gulf countries, including Dubai’s Emirates, are likely to announce similar measures. The unprecedented measures against Doha include ordering Qatari citizens to leave within 14 days and banning citizens of the three Gulf states from travelling to Qatar.

Doha airport, along with airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, have become major hubs after Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways seized a significant chunk of transcontinental travel on routes linking Western countries with Asia and Australasia.

Meanwhile, Qatar has also suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia.

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