A British teenager flying on her own for the first time has been stranded in Doha for more than 24 hours, after she was caught in the crossfire of mounting conflict in the Middle East.
Jamie Mason Walker set off from Heathrow Airport on Sunday evening. After a stopover at Doha Hamad International Airport, she was due to arrive in Melbourne, Australia, to visit her great-aunt on Monday.
But her flight from Heathrow was delayed, meaning she missed her connecting flight. Qatar then closed its airspace amid missile strikes and rising tensions between Israel, Iran, and the US.
Iran launched a missile attack on the US military’s Al-Udeid Air Base near Doha on Monday evening, forcing one of the world’s busiest airports to cancel all departures and divert arrivals.
Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, shortly after the US bombed Iranian nuclear sites. But within hours, Israel claimed Iran had broken it.
Now, with concerns about World War Three rising, thousands of people are stuck in airports waiting to get home.
Jamie, who recently turned 18, was gifted a three-week trip to Australia by her family so she could visit her great-aunt, who lives in Melbourne.
While she has been to Greece and Barcelona, the student, who starts university in September, has never flown long-haul or had to make a connection before. It is her first time outside Europe.
Her grandmother Angie Jeffs, from Northampton, said the dream trip had turned into the family’s worst nightmare.
So far she believes Jamie, who is also from Northampton, doesn’t know about the Al-Udeid Air Base bombing and Qatari airspace being closed down, instead attributing her travel disruption to general delays.
Angie explained: ‘We haven’t told her why the airport was shut down, she’s presuming it’s just delays, we didn’t want to worry her if we started telling her there was a bomb near where she is.
‘She doesn’t know anything, unless she heard other people talking about it, but if she did she didn’t mention it to me.’
Angie’s sister in Melbourne has been on the phone with the British Embassy in Australia, trying to find out when Jamie will be able to get on a plane to Melbourne.
So far, they say she was told she’d be put on the next plane to Melbourne. But two flights have taken off without Jamie since she arrived in Doha.
Angie said: ‘We’re all very worried, my sister just called the embassy to find out what’s going on and why she wasn’t put on those planes.
‘We just don’t seem to be getting any information, so we just have to wait and so does she – I just hope it doesn’t put her off flying.’
Discussing Jamie’s experience of the airport, Angie said: ‘Luckily we paid for someone to collect her from the plane in Doha and put her on the next plane, they have been helping her.
‘She’s in a lounge where she can have free food and she slept there last night.
‘There are lots of other people in the same boat, that lounge is absolutely heaving with people.
Travel advice for passengers heading to or through Qatar
Metro‘s travel team has looked into whether there are any restrictions on UK passengers planning to travel to Doha.
Hamad International Airport, a major transit hub and the world’s second busiest airport behind Dubai, was closed from Monday evening into the early hours of Tuesday, around 1.20am.
But the UK Foreign Office has not advised against travelling to Qatar. On Tuesday morning, the UK and the US lifted their ‘shelter in place’ orders.
Because of this, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to cancel your trip and receive a full or even partial refund.
The FCDO warns of travel disruption, including snap airspace closures, as well as delayed and cancelled flights.
Anyone travelling to or transiting in Qatar is advised to keep up to speed with Foreign Office guidance, and monitor local media for the latest information.
‘She said there’s quite a few people who have chatted to her, everyone seems calm.
‘The airport staff are very friendly but we don’t suppose they can do a lot.
‘She met a couple of ladies with children who said they would watch over her while she had a couple of hours’ sleep, which was nice of them.’
Jamie is due to return home on July 13, and the family are desperately hoping she won’t be stuck in the same situation on her return trip.
‘We’d rather she was stranded in Melbourne because at least she’s got family there,’ Angie added.
The family’s most recent update from Jamie is that she is due to get on a plane to Melbourne at 8.30pm tonight, local time, but whether this pans out as planned remains to be seen.
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