Qatar Airways Still Has 13 Planes Stranded In North America


As tensions continue to boil over in the Middle East, the ongoing closure of Qatari airspace has stranded various aircraft operated by Qatar Airways at airports located all around the world. The US has become a particular hotspot on this front, with tracking data made available by Flightradar24 showing that, at the time of writing, 13 of the oneworld member’s aircraft had been stranded stateside for ten days, since arriving on February 28.

With scheduled flight operations in and out of its main hub at Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH), Qatar Airways can only currently serve certain corridors on an ad hoc basis, as dictated by the country’s aviation regulators. Tomorrow will see one US hub served as part of this initiative, and it will be interesting to see if, further down the line, this paves the way for Qatar Airways to bring its jets home. Let’s dive deeper into the data.

New York JFK Airport Has The Most Stranded Qatar Airways Jets

Qatar A350 Inflight Credit: Shutterstock

Of the 13 Qatar Airways passenger aircraft that are currently stranded in the US, three can be found at John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK) in New York City. This trio of jets arrived in a seven-hour spell on February 28, with a Boeing 777-300ER that bears the registration A7-BEP being the first to touchdown. The US-built widebody twinjet landed in the Big Apple from Doha at 9:12 am UTC, operating flight QR703 from Doha.

In the hours that followed, it was subsequently joined by an Airbus A350-900 (A7-AMJ) operating flight QR706 at 11:25 am UTC and another Boeing 777-300ER (A7-BAI) operating flight QR701 at 4:23 pm UTC. JFK has long been one of Qatar Airways’ top US destinations, on account of it being a hub for its fellow oneworld member American Airlines. As far as its current operations are concerned, the Qatar Airways website advises guests that:

“Scheduled flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace. Qatar Airways will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe full reopening of Qatari airspace by the relevant authorities.”

Spread Across The Country

Qatar 777 Takeoff Credit: Shutterstock

Another key oneworld hub for Qatar Airways in the context of its partnership with American Airlines is Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). Two of its Boeing 777-200ER jets have been stranded here since February 28, with A7-BBC landing at 9:57 am UTC on that day as QR731, followed by A7-BBA as QR732, a Doha-bound flight that diverted back. Tomorrow, Qatar Airways will operate an ad hoc round trip from Doha to DFW and back.

Miami International Airport (MIA) is the only other US hub currently housing multiple stranded Qatar Airways jets, with two Airbus A350-1000s (A7-ANG and A7-ANR) having respectively touched down in Florida at 10:19 am UTC and 5:26 pm UTC on February 28. Elsewhere, three more A350-1000s are also stuck in the US: A7-ANT is in Houston (IAH), A7-ANC is at Los Angeles International (LAX), and A7-ANA is in San Francisco (SFO).

One more West Coast hub is currently playing host to a stranded Qatar Airways jet, namely Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). Here, a Boeing 777-300ER that bears the registration A7-BEX has been stuck on the ground since landing at 12:14 pm UTC on February 28. Two more of the airline’s 777-300ERs are also stranded stateside, with A7-BEK stuck at Washington Dulles (IAD) and A7-VEW grounded at Chicago O’Hare (ORD).

Qatar Airways A350 flying over a city at sunset

Fragile Reset: Middle East Hubs Cautiously Reopen Under Threat Of Continued Drone Strikes

Airlines in the region maintain caution and continue to operate with paramount safety.

Not Just The 13 Passenger Aircraft

Qatar Airways US Airports Map Credit: Great Circle Map

While the 13 passenger jets that are currently stuck in the US account for the majority of Qatar Airways’ aircraft that are stranded stateside, its other divisions haven’t got off lightly either. Indeed, at the time of writing, A7-BFU, one of the Boeing 777 freighters that serves Qatar Cargo, had not flown since landing in Chicago at 7:50 pm UTC on March 8. However, as it flew in from Liege (LGG) rather than Doha, it may find leaving easier.

Meanwhile, four of the airline’s Qatar Executive private jets are also stuck in the US. A7-CHB, a Gulfstream G700, was the first to be stranded, having not flown since landing in San Francisco at 4:23 am UTC on February 28. Three G650ERs then arrived in the US on March 6, in Miami, Washington, and San Francisco.



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