General News

JAL Suspends Flights between Haneda and Doha; May Resume Service as Early as Friday

Yomiuri Shimbun file photo
The tails of Japan Airlines planes

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:30 JST, June 24, 2025

Japan Airlines Co. announced Tuesday that direct Japan Airlines (JAL) flights between Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Doha, the capital of Qatar, were to be canceled until Friday.

On Monday, a Doha-bound JAL flight departing from Haneda Airport turned back midway and was subsequently canceled. The cancellation was ordered out of an abundance of caution after the airspace above Qatar was temporarily closed due to an attack on an American air force base there. JAL said that the suspension may continue beyond Friday.

The Haneda-Doha flight is JAL’s only route to the Middle East. The company normally operates one flight each to and from Doha every day. Service has been canceled in both directions from Tuesday to Thursday, as has Friday’s flight from Doha to Haneda. JAL has yet to determine what to do about Friday’s flight from Haneda to Doha.

“Safety will be our biggest consideration when we resume operations. We’ll continue gathering information,” a JAL official said.