Philly Flight To Qatar Turned Around Over Spain As Middle East Conflict Unfolded

PHILADELPHIA — An American Airlines flight from Philadelphia to Qatar turned around near Spain and returned to Philadelphia on Saturday as attacks throughout the Middle East unfolded.

The flight took off from Philadelphia International Airport around 8 p.m. Friday, according to FlightAware. But during the flight to Doha, the plane turned around near Spain.

It arrived back in Philadelphia at 11:38 a.m. Saturday after nearly 16 hours in the air.

An American Airlines spokesperson issued the following statement to Patch:

"American Airlines has made adjustments to its Doha, Qatar (DOH) operation, temporarily suspending flights between DOH and Philadelphia (PHL). We will continue to monitor the situation with safety and security top of mind and make any additional adjustments as needed.

To provide additional flexibility for customers, we have issued travel alerts allowing those with affected travel to change their plans without a fee."

Three other flights from the United States to Doha and Dubai made U-turns early Saturday, FlightAware data shows.

Israel and the U.S. launched attacks Saturday on Iran, resulting in a major conflict that has extended to surrounding nations. Iran has hit several nations with retaliatory strikes, including Qatar, which has closed its airspace.