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Travelers across the Gulf woke to fresh disruption on Monday as Bahrain International Airport confirmed that 108 flights operated by Gulf Air, Qatar Airways and IndiGo have been suspended, cutting key links between Muharraq, Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam and other major cities and stranding thousands of passengers amid ongoing regional airspace closures.
Grounded Schedules at Bahrain’s Main Gateway
The latest wave of cancellations has left Bahrain International Airport, located on the island of Muharraq, operating at a fraction of its usual capacity. Airport officials said the 108 suspended services include both arrivals and departures, affecting regional trunk routes as well as onward long-haul connections that rely on Gulf hubs for transit.
Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national carrier, has been among the hardest hit, with most of its regular network still on hold as Bahraini airspace restrictions continue. While a small number of repositioning and rescue services have departed from alternative airports in Saudi Arabia and Oman, standard commercial flights to and from Bahrain remain largely frozen, depriving the kingdom of its primary aviation lifeline.
The knock-on effect is being felt acutely by passengers booked on Qatar Airways and IndiGo itineraries that route via Bahrain or connect onward through Doha and other Gulf hubs. Many travelers have reported receiving last-minute cancellation notices overnight, with limited guidance on when normal operations might resume or which alternative routings are realistically available in the coming days.
Airlines and airport authorities have urged passengers not to travel to the terminal without a confirmed, operating flight, warning that check in desks for affected services will remain closed and that security will bar entry to those without valid bookings to prevent overcrowding in the departures hall.
Regional Airspace Closures Ripple Across the Gulf
The Bahrain disruption forms part of a wider aviation crisis across the Gulf, where airspace closures and shifting security assessments have triggered rolling cancellations since late February. Authorities in Bahrain and Qatar closed their skies to regular civilian traffic after a series of cross-border strikes and missile interceptions heightened the risk of aircraft transiting key corridors.
Qatar Airways has repeatedly stressed that its scheduled commercial operations remain suspended while Qatari airspace is formally closed, even as the airline operates a tightly controlled corridor of limited repatriation and relief flights. These special services, mainly linking Doha with select cities in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, are designed to move stranded passengers home but cannot accommodate the full volume of regular traffic.
Low-cost giant IndiGo has also pulled back from several Gulf routes, including services touching Bahrain, Doha and key Saudi cities, citing the combination of airspace restrictions, shifting flight permissions and safety considerations. The move has reduced options for South Asian travelers who rely heavily on budget carriers to reach employment hubs in the Gulf states.
Across the region, airlines and aviation authorities are reviewing security conditions on an almost hourly basis, resulting in a patchwork of partial reopenings, special authorizations and sudden reversals. For passengers, this has translated into an unpredictable travel environment in which yesterday’s confirmed itinerary can become today’s cancellation with little warning.
Major Cities Cut Off or Thinned to Skeleton Service
The suspension of 108 flights at Bahrain International Airport has choked connectivity between a cluster of major cities that depend on the Gulf’s dense network of short-haul links. Frequent shuttle-style services between Muharraq and Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam have been reduced to a handful of exceptional or rescue flights, with many days seeing no direct operations at all.
Cities like Jeddah and Riyadh, normally served by multiple daily frequencies from Gulf Air and Qatar Airways, are now facing sharp reductions that complicate religious travel, business trips and family visits. In Dammam, where Gulf Air had redeployed some aircraft to operate limited services when Bahrain’s airspace first closed, reports of further schedule cuts have left travelers weighing long overland journeys just to reach a working departure point.
The disruption is not confined to the Gulf itself. Passengers traveling between Europe, Africa and South or Southeast Asia have been hit as the Bahrain and Doha hubs lose their ability to function as high-frequency transit points. With airlines forced to route around restricted airspace or cancel services outright, journey times have lengthened, fares have risen on alternative carriers and airport terminals from Muscat to Istanbul are facing surge crowds from rerouted itineraries.
In Muharraq, hotel occupancy near the airport has climbed as stranded travelers search for last-minute rooms. Local tourism operators report abrupt cancellations of package tours and business events, with some companies opting to postpone regional meetings rather than attempt complex and uncertain rebookings.
Stranded Passengers Face Long Delays and Limited Options
For individual travelers, the mass suspension of flights has translated into a mix of confusion, financial strain and emotional stress. Many passengers at Bahrain International Airport described queuing at airline counters for hours to secure new itineraries, only to be offered seats several days later or on lengthy detours via distant hubs.
Those holding tickets on Gulf Air or Qatar Airways have been advised to monitor airline channels closely for information about special relief flights, which are typically announced at short notice and sell out quickly. Some stranded travelers have resorted to crossing land borders into Saudi Arabia in search of available seats from airports in Riyadh or Dammam, a journey that adds time and cost and is not feasible for everyone.
Passengers booked on IndiGo and other international carriers have also struggled with varying refund and rebooking policies, especially when their journeys involve multiple airlines or nonrefundable accommodation. Travel agents in Bahrain and neighboring countries report a surge in calls from customers seeking clarity on their rights and on realistic timelines for rejoining planned trips.
Consumer advocates in the region have urged airlines to adopt flexible policies that prioritize free date changes and clear communication, emphasizing that the extraordinary nature of the disruption should not leave passengers bearing the full financial burden of cancelled flights and unexpected stays.
Uncertain Timeline for Normal Operations to Resume
As of March 9, aviation officials in Bahrain and Qatar have not provided a firm date for the full reopening of their airspace or the return of normal schedules to Bahrain International Airport and Doha’s Hamad International Airport. Statements issued in recent days suggest that authorities are conducting continual security assessments and that any relaxation of restrictions will be gradual and closely managed.
Airlines, meanwhile, are planning operations one short window at a time, publishing limited flight lists for the next day or two and warning that these services are contingent on regulatory approvals. Gulf Air has signaled that it will prioritize repatriation and essential travel once Bahraini airspace permits, while Qatar Airways continues to expand its roster of special flights designed to clear the backlog of stranded passengers.
Industry analysts say that even once airspace fully reopens, it could take weeks for flight networks to normalize. Aircraft and crew are scattered across multiple countries due to the sudden suspensions, maintenance schedules have been disrupted and booking patterns have shifted dramatically as passengers seek to avoid potential hotspots.
For now, travelers with plans involving Bahrain, Doha, Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam and other affected cities are being urged to treat itineraries as provisional and to build in generous buffers, keeping a close eye on real-time updates from airlines and airports as the Gulf’s aviation sector navigates one of its most severe tests in recent years.