LIFE IN QATAR BACK TO NORMAL
Despite Doha’s flight cancellations, Malaysians have alternative means to fly home for Raya
TWO hours after departing Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang, my flight, Qatar Airways QR857, experienced turbulence.
“Cabin crew, please be seated for turbulence,” the captain announced and immediately, the cabin crew and passengers returned to their seats and fastened their seatbelts.
The information board stated that the A340 flight was at an altitude of 38,000 feet and 320km from Nicobar Islands in the Indian Ocean; a well known “challenging” location in the aviation world.
It reminded me of the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 which has yet to be found.
The flight eventually turned east through Iranian airspace, ensuring it did not fly through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) airspace, or fly over Bahrain.
The flight touched down at the Hamad International Airport in Doha at 1.25pm local time, which was 20 minutes later than the scheduled flight time.
“There has been no problem for other flights to go in and out of Qatar. For Malaysian flights, the journey takes an extra 20 minutes of flight time (usual time from Kuala Lumpur to Doha is seven hours),” said a Malaysian Qatar Airways staff member who declined to be named.
“Nobody is stranded here. Everything is normal. Just that we don’t have any outgoing and incoming flights from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain or Egypt.”
The decision by those nations to sever ties with Qatar was undertaken after it was alleged that the Gulf state was supporting terrorist groups.
Unlike the 2014 diplomatic crisis, which only saw diplomats being instructed to leave or return, this time, it involved a more serious act that saw a dramatic blockade of land, air and sea by the three countries and instructions for their respective diplomats to return home.
On arrival at the Hamad International Airport, my photographer, Aizuddin Saad, and I noticed an eerie and deserted airport with information boards showing cancelled flights to Abha and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) and Bahrain.
“For the past three days, the airport looked empty as there were no arrivals from Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain or Egypt. However, other operations are normal,” said Mohamed, an airport staff member.
Although the countries had resorted to an air blockade, all outbound flights to Qatar should be able to pass through Bahrain and UAE’s airspace. Except for Saudi Arabia, the countries have made a pact in accordance with the International Air Service Transit Agreement.
The situation also does not affect the 4,900 Malaysians in Doha as they have an alternative means to fly home — either through Oman Air or Sri Lankan Airlines.
Mohd Edzwan Kamaruzaman, 35, who will return for the Hari Raya Aidilfitri holidays next week, said there was no issue in flying back home.
It was reported that Kuwait, Turkey and the United States want the diplomatic spat between the five nations to be resolved. However, the international media has been painting an opposite picture of the situation.
Perhaps, the diplomatic crisis is just a “turbulence” in this region, which could be solved by the countries involved.
The question is, who would be the “captain” steering the region in the diplomatic spat?