Qatar Airways has begun parking part of its fleet in Spain as the ongoing war in the Middle East and Gulf continues to severely disrupt aviation.
According to flight-tracking website Flightradar24, around 20 Qatar Airways aircraft have now been relocated to Teruel Airport in eastern Spain, a state-owned facility that’s known as one of Europe’s largest aircraft maintenance and storage sites.
The move reflects the airline’s reduced flying schedule, with fewer aircraft needed as airspace restrictions limit operations from its hub at Hamad International Airport in Doha.
In a statement, Qatar Airways told Doha News: “Due to the current exceptional circumstances in the region and the resulting disruption to flight operations beyond our control, Qatar Airways has positioned some of its aircraft at selected airports outside Qatar.
“This is a temporary measure, and the aircraft will be progressively returned to service as flight operations are restored to normal levels.”
Teruel is a “tiny” remote airport in rural Spain, said the Independent, and previously served as a “major parking facility for grounded aircraft during the Covid-19 pandemic”, when it hosted around 140 planes.
With its location between a number of large cities – including Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza and Bilbao – Teruel is a base for industrial aeronautical development and is considered one of the largest sites in Europe for maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO).
Spread across 540 hectares, the airport has a runway length of 2,825 metres and capacity to park 400 aircraft.
Qatar’s decision to relocate some of its aircraft comes amid one of the most significant disruptions to global aviation in recent years.
Since the escalation of the Iran war in late February, airspace across much of the Gulf has been partially or fully closed following missile and drone attacks.
Key regional corridors linking Europe, Asia and Africa have been heavily affected, forcing airlines to cancel flights, reroute aircraft and absorb higher fuel costs.
Industry estimates suggest thousands of flights have been cancelled across the region, with major hubs such as Doha, Dubai and Abu Dhabi impacted.
Qatar Airways is currently operating a revised limited schedule until 28 March for flights to and from Hamad International Airport.
