The Botswana Tourism Organisation (BTO) has said as Botswana’s tourism operators prepare to depart for ITB Berlin 2025 (3–5 March 2025), travellers should note the following important update regarding transit through Doha in Qatar and Dubai:
“We wish to inform all travellers of the ongoing disruptions affecting selected regional air routes due to multiple airspace closures.
Qatar Airways flight operations remain temporarily suspended following the closure of Qatari airspace. Operations will resume once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority confirms the safe reopening of the airspace. A further operational update is expected on 02 March at 09:00 Doha time (06:00 UTC).
All travellers are urged to check flight status before proceeding to the airport and to update contact details via emirates.com/managebooking to receive timely notifications.
Passengers are advised to monitor updates via qatarairways.com or the Qatar Airways mobile application.
Emirates has temporarily suspended all operations to and from Dubai until 15:00 UAE time on Monday, 02 March 2026, due to regional airspace closures.
Passengers travelling within the next 72 hours may rebook (up to 10 days from the original travel date) or request a refund. Those who booked via travel agents should contact their agents directly, while customers who booked with Emirates should engage the airline.
All travellers are urged to check flight status before proceeding to the airport and to update contact details via emirates.com/managebooking to receive timely notifications.
Both airlines have reaffirmed that passenger and crew safety remain their highest priority and are actively engaging relevant authorities while closely monitoring developments.”
