On the 5th June 2017, a number of Arab States including Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya and the UAE, announced they would sever all diplomatic ties with Qatar effective immediately. As a result, flight services to and from these nations have been affected. A number of airlines have announced the suspension of flights to Qatar including Emirates, Etihad Airways and Air Arabia. In addition to the take-off and landing ban imposed on the airline, Qatar Airways is now required to divert around a number of states airspaces. Following this decision, Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) announced they had revoked Qatar Airways’ operating licence and ordered the closure of the airline’s offices in Saudi Arabia.

Throughout February and April 2017, the European Commission together with the European Air Safety Agency (EASA), conducted a series of on-site assessments of carriers based in Mozambique, Benin, Libya and Nigeria. During the inspections, it was noted that the Civil Aviation Institute of Mozambique (ICAM) had made considerable progress in the implementation of ICAO Safety standards and recommended practices. This prompted officials from Linhas Aereas de Mocambique (LAM Mozambique Airlines) to appeal the airlines ban within the EU. This request was accepted and as a result, the airline is now permitted to operate to the EU.

The United States Government has announced increased security measures to be implemented on all US bound flights. The changes will only apply to commercial flights and include additional screening of passengers and personal electronic devices such as laptops and tablets. Approximately 2000 daily flights are expected to be impacted, equating to over 325,000 passengers. The Department of Homeland Security stated that the current electronics ban imposed on 10 Middle Eastern airports would be lifted, if these new security requirements are implemented.