Jakarta. Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia announced on Sunday that it had suspended Doha flights after the Israel-Iran war led to major shutdowns of Middle Eastern airspaces.

Israel-US joint attack on Tehran had caused the latter to fire retaliatory strikes on Arab countries that host American military bases in the region, including Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates. Their respective authorities have temporarily closed their airspaces. And now airlines across the globe, including Garuda, are navigating their way through the travel chaos.

"Garuda Indonesia has temporarily suspended flights to and from Doha, Qatar, effective Feb. 28 until further notice, following the temporary closure of Qatar’s airspace amid escalating developments in the Middle East," the company said over the weekend. 

“This measure is taken as a precautionary step, with the safety and security of passengers and crew as the airline’s priority.”

Other international routes will continue to operate as scheduled. Garuda’s planes will also not transit the affected airspace. 

Indonesia’s largest private airline, Lion Air, has not made any official statement since the war erupted. However, Transportation Minister Dudy Purwaghandi claimed that Lion Air was “unaffected by the conflict”. 

The Jakarta Globe has reached out to Lion Air for comments. 

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