Flights from Nigeria may soon be affected after Qatar announced the temporary shutdown of its airspace amid escalating tensions in the region.

The Qatari foreign ministry stated that the move aims to ensure the safety of residents and visitors. The shutdown comes as Iran reiterated threats to retaliate against the US following strikes on its nuclear sites.

The US State Department had earlier advised its citizens in international locations to “exercise increased caution” after the US bombed three nuclear sites in Iran on Saturday.

Bankole Bernard, the group managing director, Finchglow Holdings said the airspace shut down is expected to affect flights from Nigeria especially flights operated by Qatar Airways.

He said while no official message has been sent from Qatar Airways to travel agencies yet, this is expected as flights would no longer be operated around Qatar’s airspace.

“This will affect flights from Nigeria. We are on the verge of third world war. Qatar Airways have not sent any message to us yet to say they are suspending but I know they would announce soon. A lot of airlines have suspended operations to Qatar.

“Qatar Airways operates daily flights to Lagos and Abuja and operate few weekly flights to Kano. So it’s a huge passenger traffic that would be affected. Qatar still operated today. Qatar is in the Middle East and someone can get on the plane and blow up the plane. So, this is a very tough time to fly,” Bernard said.

In a statement, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the closure of its airspace was to ensure the safety of residents and visitors.

In a separate statement in response to the embassy notice, the foreign ministry said the warning did “not necessarily reflect the existence of specific threats”.

“The security situation in the country is stable,” the statement said, adding that “the relevant authorities are closely monitoring the situation and are ready to take all necessary measures to ensure the safety of citizens, residents, and visitors”.

Qatar is home to the largest US military base in the Middle East, Al Udeid Air Base. About 8,000 US citizens live there, according to the State Department.

It is also home to US CENTCOM’s headquarters for all its air operations in the Middle East, where British military personnel also serve on rotation.

The US has about 40,000 troops stationed in the Middle East.

Flight tracking websites show planes diverting to other airports following the closure of Qatari airspace. According to Flightradar24, there are 100 flights bound for Doha.

Hamad International Airport is one of the world’s top 10 busiest airports on international traffic with around 140,000 passengers passing through per day.

Advice for British nationals in Qatar may be updated “over the course of the next few days”, the Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said.

He told Parliament: “This is an ongoing and fast-moving situation.” He added that the government would keep advice “under close review and there may need to be further updates over the course of the next few days”.

The message from the US Embassy was followed by warnings from other groups in Qatar, including several universities that asked students to go home.

Bilateral relations between the US and Qatar are “strong”, according to the State Department, which says Qatar has helped play a financial, political and military role in dealing with turmoil in the region.

(BusinessDay)