KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — Qatar Airways will allow Malaysians who have booked its flights to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain to get a full refund following the diplomatic rift in the region.

Alternatively, the airline said passengers also had the option of rebooking to the nearest alternative destination it services for free.

"This includes rebooking affected passengers on other airlines such as our oneworld partner, Malaysia Airlines,” the airline said in a statement to Malay Mail yesterday.

Malaysia Airlines oneworld code-share partners include American Airlines, Cathay Pacific Airways, and its affiliate Qatar Airways, Cathay Dragon, Finnair, Japan Airlines, Royal Jordanian, and SriLankan Airlines.

"With the exception of the above-mentioned four countries, the remaining Qatar Airways operations are running as normal,” the statement read.

The airline said it would continue to work at minimising any passenger disruption to ensure a smooth journey of their travel plans.

Passengers who require further assistance can reach the airline at +603 2118 6100 or +974 4022 0072.

The Tourism and Culture Ministry had on Tuesday called Qatar Airways to fulfil its obligations to Malaysian travellers amidst the diplomatic rift Qatar faces with the four Gulf nations.

Its deputy minister Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said the airline was bound by the Malaysia Aviation Consumer Code 2016 and the Malaysian Aviation Commission Act 2015, and failure on their end would result in it facing action from the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom).

A day after the announcement in cutting ties with Qatar, Saudi Arabia had revoked the licences of Qatar Airways and ordered its offices to be closed within 48 hours.

On Monday, the state had banned all Qatari planes from landing in Saudi Arabia airports.

Qatar is home to global airline Qatar Airways and many airports in the Gulf region are major hubs for international connecting flights.