Birmingham flight to Doha diverted amid air strikes

A flight from Birmingham to Qatar has been diverted amid ongoing US and Israeli air strikes on Iran.

The delayed Qatar Airways flight was due to take off at 08:14 GMT and head to Doha, but flew as far as France before turning back to Birmingham where it landed at about 11:20, a flight tracking platform has shown.

The airline has confirmed it has suspended all flights to the Qatar capital due to the closure of Qatari airspace on Saturday.

The BBC have contacted Birmingham Airport for comment.

Qatar Airways said it is working with the relevant authorities to support impacted passengers and plans to resume operations when the airspace reopens.

A spokesperson added: "The safety of our passengers and crew is always our highest priority and we apologise for any inconvenience caused."

Emirates, which flies to Dubai from the Solihull-based airport, has also suspended flights to and from the United Arab Emirates city.

More than 200 passengers on British Airways' 20:00 flight to Doha on Friday found themselves back at Heathrow, after it was ordered to turn around about a third of the way through the journey.

Explosions have been heard across multiple Iranian cities including the capital, Tehran, on Saturday, after negotiations to limit Iran's nuclear programme ended without an agreement this week. The UK did not participate in the strikes.

Iran has launched retaliatory strikes, Israel's military says, with explosions heard and attacks reported in several other countries in the region with US facilities.

The UK Foreign Office has urged British nationals in Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to immediately shelter in place following reports of explosions.

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