Qatar Airways sends nearly a dozen widebody aircraft to Spain amid Middle East conflict
March 20, 2026
Qatar Airways has dispatched nearly a dozen of its widebodies to a storage facility at Teruel Airport (TEV) in Spain amid the ongoing war in the Middle East.
FlightRadar24 showed five Airbus A330s landing at the airport, which has space for 120 aircraft, within the last 48 hours. They arrived primarily from their base in Doha; one flew in from Cairo.
A Qatar Airbus A380 was also shown recently on the ground at Teruel, having flown in from London Heathrow.
Qatar Airways widebodies sent to storage
On Friday morning, another tranche of Qatari aircraft was en route, including three Airbus A350-900s, a Boeing 787-8 and a Boeing 787-9. Their departure airports – all in Africa – ranged from Lagos to Cape Town.
Teruel Airport is a major European base for aircraft maintenance, storage, and recycling, and is home to TARMAC Aerosave.
Additional recent arrivals into Teruel include an Emirates and British Airways A380. There have been no recent arrivals of Etihad aircraft, the third of the Middle East big three, according to FlightRadar24.
Aircraft flown to Teruel may be going through deep maintenance and are not necessarily there to enter long-term storage, or to be scrapped.
Iran conflict disrupts Middle East flights
The US-Israel-Iran conflict has upended flight networks and schedules across the Middle East and left carriers such as Qatar scrambling to position aircraft and crews.
Qatar’s operations have been temporarily suspended because of the closure of Qatari airspace, and it has been able to offer only a skeleton service over recent weeks.
The airline said it was able to offer only “a revised limited number of flights from 18 March to 28 March 2026”.
The sight of aircraft being ferried to Teruel is reminiscent of the last major shock to the aviation industry, Covid, when hundreds of aircraft were moved into storage in anticipation of a protracted downturn.
Chateauroux Airport (CHR) in France is another location for long-term storage.
However, FlightRadar24 data shows the Middle East carriers have not yet used that location to store their aircraft during this current conflict.
Why Teruel is home to Europe’s largest boneyard
Known for its dry climate and high-altitude location, Teruel provides ideal conditions for preserving aircraft, minimising the risk of corrosion and the associated maintenance costs.
The site also offers expansive space for parking hundreds of aircraft safely while maintaining easy access for inspections and part reclamation.
It is home to TARMAC Aerosave, which also has sites at Tarbes and Toulouse-Francazal, and provides four main services for aircraft and engine owners and operators.
Its core business is long-term storage, but the company also delivers maintenance solutions, particularly for CFM56 and LEAP engines, supports transitions between operators with cabin modifications and seat reconfigurations, and is the leading aircraft and engine recycling company.
Featured image: JarekKilian / stock.adobe.com
