RandAir starts flying again to Qatar and the UAE as tensions between Iran and Israel ease

RwandAir has started flying again to the Middle East and the Gulf after tensions between Iran and Israel eased, which had cut off air traffic.

On Monday, June 23, the national carrier stopped flying to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) because Qatar temporarily closed its airspace because of rising security concerns in the area.

On the same day, the United States dropped 30,000-pound bunker-buster bombs on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend. In response, Iran fired a missile at a U.S. airbase in Qatar.

RwandAir Communications Officer Olivier Ahayo told The New Times that flights to the area started up again on Tuesday afternoon.

“Our business resumed yesterday afternoon,” he said.

RwandaAir also said that people whose plans were affected by the brief suspension can change them for free.

The airline often goes to Doha’s Hamad International Airport, which is the largest in the Middle East. Dubai is still one of RwandAir’s busiest lines, with daily flights for many years.

Since Tuesday, when U.S. President Donald Trump helped Israel and Iran agree to a ceasefire, things have calmed down in the area.

“Don’t break it, please!” An article on Trump’s Truth Social page asked both sides to work together.

On Friday, June 13, Israel attacked military and nuclear sites in Iran from the air, saying that Iran was close to making a nuclear weapon. This started the latest round of fighting between Israel and Iran.

Officials in Israel said the strikes were necessary because political efforts to stop Iran’s nuclear program had failed.

Because of this, Iran fired a lot of ballistic missiles at Israel over a few days, damaging many Israeli towns badly.