Qatar Airways has moved 20 of its largest aircraft to storage in Spain as continuing regional tensions and airspace restrictions force the airline to scale back operations from Doha.
The aircraft, which include Airbus A380s, A350s and Boeing 787s, have been relocated to Teruel Airport in eastern Spain, more than 3,000 miles from the carrier’s home base. The airport, known as Europe’s largest dedicated aircraft storage and maintenance hub, has become a temporary refuge for part of the airline’s long-haul fleet.
Teruel has long been associated with aircraft storage because of its dry climate and specialist maintenance capabilities, including those provided by Tarmac Aerosave. Recent satellite imagery and Flightradar24 data show a sharp increase in parked Qatar Airways aircraft, with 15 already on site and five more due to arrive over the weekend.
The move reflects the scale of the disruption affecting the airline. With airspace restrictions in place over Qatar, the carrier is currently operating less than a quarter of its normal schedule, making it the most heavily affected of the major Gulf airlines. While Emirates and Etihad have been able to restore some services from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Qatar Airways remains more tightly constrained by its operating environment.
In a statement, the airline said some aircraft had been positioned at selected airports outside Qatar because of exceptional regional circumstances and the resulting disruption to flight operations. It described the arrangement as temporary and said aircraft would gradually return to service as operations normalise.
Alejandro Ibrahim, general manager of Teruel Airport, said airlines are reassessing routes and fleet deployment and are increasingly looking for safer parking options, with Europe becoming an attractive solution.
Aviation analyst John Strickland said the number of aircraft moved to Teruel suggests the disruption may not be short-lived. He noted that the airline appears to be both protecting valuable assets from potential risk and preserving flexibility for future operations.
Qatar Airways is continuing to operate a limited schedule and is expected to publish a revised timetable from 29 March, with additional flights to be added when conditions allow. For now, Teruel has become an unlikely but important staging ground for some of the Gulf carrier’s flagship aircraft.
