This is a rapidly evolving situation linked to ongoing military activity in the Middle East. This article will be updated as new updates become available.
Airlines operating flights between South Africa and key Middle East hubs have announced that they will expand their repatriation flights to assist stranded passengers and accommodate rising demand.
Qatar Airways has expanded its repatriation flight schedule to offer stranded passengers increased access to North America, Asia and Australia. Lufthansa has introduced additional flights to Cape Town, offering South Africans alternative flight options.
Qatar Airways
In a notice on March 9, Qatar Airways confirmed that while its scheduled flight operations remain suspended, it will expand its repatriation flight offerings to support passengers who have been affected by the current situation.
Flights departing from Doha:
March 11: Cairo, Toronto, Dallas Fort Worth, London Heathrow, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Delhi, Jeddah, Muscat, Hong Kong, Seoul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne.
Flights arriving at Doha:
March 11: Cairo, London Heathrow, Jeddah, Manila, Kochi, Muscat, Istanbul, Mumbai, Delhi, Nairobi, Islamabad, Madrid, Frankfurt, Colombo and Milan.
March 12: Cairo, Toronto, Dallas Fort Worth, London Heathrow, Paris, Madrid, Rome, Delhi, Jeddah, Muscat, Hong Kong, Seoul, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Melbourne.
Priority on these flights was given to stranded passengers with families, elderly passengers, and those with urgent medical and compassionate travel needs. Each flight was pre-allocated by Qatar Airways directly to such affected passengers.
Tickets issued for travel between February 28 and March 10 may be changed by up to 14 days from the original travel date. Passengers also have the option to refund or change their flights within the permitted window.
For more details, see Travelinfo.
Lufthansa Airlines
Due to the rise in demand for long-haul flights at short notice, Lufthansa Airlines will be adding extra flights to Africa and Asia.
Lufthansa confirmed that tickets for two additional flights between Frankfurt and Cape Town, that will be operated in the coming weeks, are available for booking.
Additionally, the airline will operate four extra flights between Munich and Singapore.
Two extra flights from Frankfurt to Riyadh are planned.
The flights can be booked through all sales channels.
“The Lufthansa Group is constantly monitoring current market developments and will communicate any further additional flights,” said the airline.
