Regular readers of Business Travel iQ are well aware of the consequences for the travel industry resulting from the ongoing diplomatic challenges in the Gulf.
This week the Gulf situation once again roared into the news. President Trump and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah spoke at a joint press conference of their willingness to mediate the dispute between Qatar and what looks like the rest of the Gulf, namely Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt.
At the heart of the dispute is a belief that Qatar is supporting and funding terrorism through its backing of Iran and Islamists.
Qatar is a tiny state — the official population is only a bit more than 2 million and that only masks the fact that much of that is migrant labour and the number of Qatari citizens is actually only about 300,000 — with, courtesy of its oil and gas reserves, the highest income per capita in the world.
That money enables it to punch way above its weight with a serious investment state investment arm and strategy which has led it to own many of the world's largest brands. This investment is complemented by its unhesitating use of high profile sponsorship to fast track its reputation as an established world player.
Many are aware that that investment includes Paris Saint-Germain (and the ability to spend almost half a billion on a deal to acquire Neymar alone) but its reach in travel extends beyond Qatar Airways and Doha Airport to British Airways, Heathrow, Latam, Meridiana, the Savoy Hotel, etc.
Qatar's ownership of so many high profile European businesses suggests a high level of demand for travel between Doha and European capitals.
There should also be a lot of travel via Qatar as part of its strategy to develop Doha as a long-haul hub for routes between North America, Europe and Asia. All of that was affected by its neighbours' imposing restrictions on routes earlier this year.
Qatar's air links are now being affected by route closures and withdrawals by non-Qatari carriers. KLM has dropped its Amsterdam-Doha route and Lufthansa has now announced that it will stop flying to Doha when the summer schedules stop at the end of October. The ostensible reason is that the routes are not financially viable. Qatar Airways' policy of using aggressive pricing to grow its own network does have consequences.
The options for those wanting to fly between European destinations and Qatar has just become quite limited. The only European carrier left flying to Doha will be British Airways.
Qatar Airways presents challenges for travellers because of restrictions on air space over and on landing rights at many of its neighbouring countries' airports.
Qatar is the world's richest country. It is the world's most economically ambitious country.
It's become a difficult place to fly into or out of — are the two compatible?