Nearly 150 show-jumping horses were in Qatar for a top competition when Iranian missiles lit up the sky.
A total of 147 elite showjumping horses have been evacuated from Qatar following escalating tensions in the Gulf region, highlighting the complexity of moving high-value live cargo under crisis conditions. The operation involved transporting the horses by road from Doha to Riyadh before two Qatar Airways Boeing 777 freighters carried them onward to Liège. One flight transported 74 horses and the second 73, with specialist staff accompanying the animals throughout the journey.
The relocation was coordinated between the Doha Equestrian Tour, Qatar Airways and local partners, after ongoing conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel led to continued instability and the closure of Qatari airspace.
With commercial flights suspended at Hamad International Airport, the horses were first moved approximately 350 kilometres by road to Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport. From there, the aircraft operated non-stop flights of around six hours to Liège, one of Europe’s key hubs for live animal logistics.
Qatar continues to have closed airspace, and commercial flights have been unable to operate from the country’s Doha Hamad International Airport (DOH). According to Simple Flying, to enable the flights to operate, vehicles and horse floats were provided to travel from Doha to Riyadh, a four-hour journey by road covering 217 miles (350 kilometers). From Riyadh King Khalid International Airport (RUH), the flights were then operated safely on the six-hour nonstop flight to Liège Airport (LGG).
Credits: Qatar Airways
