The national carriers of both Oman and Qatar have resumed flights to and from European countries after the air traffic control authorities eased restrictions on Wednesday.

Qatar Airways said it started flying to the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Scandinavia and Switzerland on Wednesday and will be back to a full operating schedule from tomorrow (Thursday).

The services resuming to and from the airline’s Doha hub are London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester, Paris, Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Geneva and Zurich, the airline said in a statement.

Qatar Airways said is clearing the backlog of customers in cities across its network whose travel plans have been affected by the disruption.

'All transit passengers who were stranded in Doha over the past few days were provided with accommodation and have now been flown to their final destination,' it added.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said the airline staff had worked tirelessly to try to get its flights back to normal.

'Over the past few days our customers, like those of many airlines around the world, have faced the inconvenience of this unprecedented disruption to their travel plans.

Qatar Airways had cancelled more than 135 flights to and from Europe over the past five days for safety reasons, resulting in the disruption to its network.

Earlier in the day, Oman Air said it had begun flying to London, Paris, Frankfurt and Munich on Wednesday. 'The first WY113 Muscat – Dubai – Frankfurt took off at 11.30am from Muscat airport and landed in Dubai at 1230. It departed Dubai at 1330 and is set to arrive in Frankfurt at 6pm (local time).'

The flight WY103 Muscat – London Heathrow took off from Muscat at 12.15pm ansd will arrive in London at 5.20pm. The flight WY101 bound for London Heathrow left Muscat at 2pm and will arrive in London at 6.05pm. The flight WY131 bound for Paris flew from Muscat airport at 1.30pm and will arrive in Paris at 7.20pm.

Welcoming the reopening of UK airspace, Oman Air chief executive officer Peter Hill said, 'This is great news for passengers and airlines alike and we look forward to resuming normal services to the UK, France and Germany.'

'Inevitably, it will take a little time to get everything back to normal, but our staff are making every effort, as they have throughout this difficult period, to ensure that our customers receive the best possible care and arrive at their destinations at the earliest opportunity,' he noted.

Hill thanked Oman Air's customers for 'their continuing patience, cooperation and good spirits.'

He said the airline had provided accommodation and hospitality over the last week for hundreds of customers who had been delayed in Muscat following the cancellation of their flights home.

In addition, support has been offered to many customers whose return to Muscat from London, Paris, Frankfurt and Munich has been delayed.

“These circumstances have been unprecedented, but the safety of Oman Air’s passengers comes before all other considerations. We now look forward to resuming flights to and from our key European destinations and to offering again the outstanding hospitality and service for which Oman Air is famed,” Hill added.-TradeArabia News Service