American Airlines monitoring regional fallout as Middle East airspace reopens
Published:Friday | June 27, 2025 | 12:06 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer -
WESTERN BUREAU:
José A. Freig, vice president of international and inflight dining operations at American Airlines (AA), says the airline is continuing to assess its suspended service to Doha, Qatar, despite the reopening of that country’s airspace amid geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
“We haven’t necessarily seen any particular weakness. We do operate and fly to Doha, which we stopped last Friday [June 20] for security reasons,” Freig told The Gleaner. “We are re-evaluating every day, because safety and security are fundamental to us in the airline business.”
The Middle East is one of the markets Jamaica has been targeting as the country seeks to expand its tourism footprint into non-traditional marks. Recently, there have been scheduled flights from Jamaica to Qatar.
As it relates to American Airlines, the company halted its Philadelphia-to-Doha route as a precaution, following the United States’ (US) bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities, an action that exacerbated regional instability, causing temporary airspace closures, and a flurry of airline suspensions across the Gulf region.
Freig said the airline is working in close coordination with airport authorities, government agencies, and internal security teams to determine the appropriate time to resume operations.
“Right now, we don’t see any weakness as yet. It’s a very recent activity, so there is nothing that we can point to at the moment,” he said in response to questions about the impact of the US bombing operations in Iran.
American Airlines joined several global carriers in suspending flights to and through the Middle East last weekend, as the region braced for retaliatory strikes from Iran following the US’ airstrikes on its nuclear facilities at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan.
Though Qatar reopened its airspace on Monday, United Airlines and other carriers have opted to delay their return to the region. United’s flights to Dubai remain suspended due to ongoing concerns for crew safety.
Freig emphasised that American Airline’s Doha service is under continuous review, but there is no confirmed timeline for its resumption.
The closures disrupted not only flights to Gulf destinations but also international routes that rely on regional hubs such as Doha, Dubai, and Abu Dhabi. Major airlines, including Emirates, Qatar Airways, British Airways, and Singapore Airlines, were forced to reroute, delay, or cancel operations.
A ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump between Israel and Iran has since led to a partial de-escalation, but the aviation industry remains on high alert. Airlines continue to advise passengers to anticipate delays and to exercise flexibility in travel plans through the end of June.
Despite global uncertainties, American Airlines said it remains committed to the Caribbean market. This summer, the carrier is set to operate 15 peak daily flights out of Jamaica’s three major airports.