10.03.2026 22:42
Turkish citizens stranded in Qatar due to the airport closure following attacks on Iran returned to Istanbul after 10 days. The passengers praised the hospitality of Qatari officials.
Turkish citizens stranded in Qatar due to the closure of airspace following the attacks by the USA and Israel on Iran have returned to Turkey. Passengers who had to wait in Doha for about 10 days reached Istanbul Airport today and reunited with their country.
The flight that took off from Doha Hamad International Airport around 11:30 landed at Istanbul Airport around 18:20, using the airspace of Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
"QATARIS SHOWED GREAT HOSPITALITY"
Erkan Yıldırım, one of the passengers stranded in Qatar for about 10 days, stated that Qatari officials took good care of them throughout the process.
Yıldırım said, "After our flight from Bangkok landed in Doha on February 28, Qatar Airways and state officials accommodated about 8,000 passengers in hotels. They showed all the hospitality they could for 10 days. We thank all the Qatari officials. None of us were harmed and we returned to our country safe and sound," he said.
"IT WAS A CHALLENGING PROCESS"
Alper Aldemir, who stated that he arrived in Doha as a transfer passenger from Bangkok, said they had to wait for days due to the closure of airspace.
Aldemir expressed, "We landed at Doha Airport as transfer passengers on February 28. When the airspace closed, we were stranded there for a long time. Today is the 11th day, and we finally managed to return to Istanbul. It was a challenging process, but our safety was ensured. The Qataris took very good care of us," he stated.
"THERE WERE EXPLOSIONS AND ATTACKS"
Passenger Emir Kaan Demir also noted that their flights were canceled on the day the war began. Demir said, "We had a flight from Doha to Turkey on February 28. With the start of the Iran-Israel war, all flights were canceled. Initially, we stayed at the airport for 1-1.5 days, then the airline accommodated us in hotels. During the days we stayed at the hotel, there were explosions, drone, and missile attacks above, but we were in a safe place," he said.
DID NOT BOARD THE PLANE DUE TO OVERBOOKING
Demir also mentioned that some passengers were not allowed on the plane due to "overbooking" on the first flight back to Istanbul. He stated that they had to wait another day, saying, "We came back to the airport today and finally managed to return to Turkey. Thank God we were able to reach our country," he said.