"American Flight 120 took off from Philadelphia around 8 p.m. on Friday. It was due to land in Doha, Qatar, about 12 hours later. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner not only flew across the Atlantic but as far as the Mediterranean Sea, before it U-turned off the coast of Spain."
"The American Dreamliner landed back in Philadelphia 15 hours and 32 minutes after taking off from there, according to data from Flightradar24. Flight 120 was canceled over the next three days, too, while Qatari airspace remains closed."
"The region's three major airlines - Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad - operate huge hubs that connect passengers from across the globe. Its geography makes it a convenient stopover between Asia and Europe, or onward to North America. These airlines collectively carry 90,000 transiting passengers."
Strikes on Iran prompted Gulf countries to close their airspace on Saturday, causing significant disruptions to international air travel. An American Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner departed Philadelphia bound for Doha but was forced to turn back after flying across the Atlantic and reaching the Mediterranean, landing back in Philadelphia after 15 hours and 32 minutes. Simultaneously, an Emirates Airbus A380 flying from Auckland to Dubai reversed course eight hours into its journey, returning to New Zealand after 15 hours and 37 minutes. The Middle East's strategic geographic location and major airline hubs—Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad—make regional airspace closures particularly disruptive to global aviation networks.
Read at Business Insider
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