A political spat engulfing the Middle East could have major consequences for travellers with big disruption for air travel.
At the centre is Qatar which has been hit by boycotts banning Qatari airlines from neighbouring countries’ airspace and abruptly cancelling flights to the country.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have severed ties and cancelled all flights to Qatar after accusations it is supporting terrorism.
Egypt and the UAE’s Etihad and Emirates have suspended flights to and from Doha ‘until further notice.’
"There is a wider impact than Qatar Airways not being able to land in markets like Saudi and UAE since those markets are significant sources for transfer traffic," said Will Horton, analyst at CAPA Centre for Aviation
"A Riyadh passenger may not be able to connect to Bangkok via Doha and a Dubai passenger could not get to London via Doha."
Analysts warn of air travel disruption across the region including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and possibly further afield.
"Airspace will be impacted by flights being re-routed, especially for Qatar Airways who will no longer be allowed to use the expansive airspace of Saudi Arabia on flights to Europe and North America," said Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at StrategicAero Research.
"Equally, the litany of narrowbody jets that Qatar Airways has to park which can’t be used for intra-GCC flights will hit operations at Doha since ramp space will be at a premium – this could lead to flight delays and incur more costs."
