As conflict expanded across the Gulf, closing chunks of regional airspace, the Australian Government on 6 March 2026 authorised bus convoys to ferry stranded citizens from Doha to Riyadh, where outbound commercial flights are still operating. Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite said the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) would provide basic accommodation in Saudi Arabia while travellers secured seats home. More than 24,000 Australians were believed to be in the UAE alone when Iran’s drone attacks forced multiple Gulf carriers to cancel services. With Qatar’s skies effectively shut, the overland option gives business travellers, tourists and expatriates a viable exit that avoids the congested hubs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
![Government Opens Doha–Riyadh Land Route to Repatriate Australians Amid Middle-East Airspace Closures]()
Meanwhile, travellers scrambling for the correct entry or transit paperwork can tap VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/), which consolidates the latest visa requirements for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and dozens of other countries and offers expedited processing—an invaluable service when DFAT-approved corridors shift overnight.
DFAT also opened a crisis-registration portal for Australians in Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon and Israel, signalling that additional land transfers may follow. Corporate travel managers have been urged to map alternative routings through Muscat or Amman and to monitor carrier waiver policies daily. Insurance providers are treating the region as a “known event,” meaning new policies may exclude cover for trip disruption; firms should check existing coverage before authorising travel. The episode again highlights the value of accurate traveller-tracking data. Companies using integrated HR-booking feeds were able to identify employees in Doha within minutes, while those relying on manual declarations took days to confirm headcounts. Experts say the Riyadh corridor could close at short notice if hostilities escalate, so contingency plans should include ground transport options to Dammam and Kuwait City. DFAT’s Smartraveller advice remains “Do not travel” for much of the region, and mobility teams are re-evaluating assignment rotations, with some bringing forward R&R evacuations to limit exposure.
Meanwhile, travellers scrambling for the correct entry or transit paperwork can tap VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/), which consolidates the latest visa requirements for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and dozens of other countries and offers expedited processing—an invaluable service when DFAT-approved corridors shift overnight.
DFAT also opened a crisis-registration portal for Australians in Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon and Israel, signalling that additional land transfers may follow. Corporate travel managers have been urged to map alternative routings through Muscat or Amman and to monitor carrier waiver policies daily. Insurance providers are treating the region as a “known event,” meaning new policies may exclude cover for trip disruption; firms should check existing coverage before authorising travel. The episode again highlights the value of accurate traveller-tracking data. Companies using integrated HR-booking feeds were able to identify employees in Doha within minutes, while those relying on manual declarations took days to confirm headcounts. Experts say the Riyadh corridor could close at short notice if hostilities escalate, so contingency plans should include ground transport options to Dammam and Kuwait City. DFAT’s Smartraveller advice remains “Do not travel” for much of the region, and mobility teams are re-evaluating assignment rotations, with some bringing forward R&R evacuations to limit exposure.
