UAE, Bahrain open up airspace for Qatar

Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agree to open up some of their airspace to Qatar Airways, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) announced.

Anthony Philbin, the spokesman of the Montreal-based ICAO, said: "Some existing air route availability has been assured, and some new temporary or contingency routes have also been developed."

Since June 5, ICAO has worked with various Middle East states to provide Qatar Airways with air corridor.

Upon a complaint was lodged by Qatar, the ICAO Council held an extraordinary meeting in Montreal at the end of July. ICAO called on the relevant states to abide by the Chicago Convention, and continue to cooperate in order to maintain civil aviation.

Regarding ICAO’s call on Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti, Qatar’s Minister of Transport and Communications said they have made progress by forcing the states who embargoed Qatar to abide by the convention. Al Sulaiti noted that the relevant states discriminate against Qatar by imposing aerial blockade, which is particularly against Article 54 of the 1944 Chicago Convention.

"The new routes are a great success for Qatar, given its ability to convince the International Civil Aviation Organization of the importance of compliance by the siege countries to the Chicago Convention," Qatar's Civil Aviation Authority stated.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Yemen cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism. They also imposed a blockade by land, sea and air.

A joint declaration accused 59 individuals and 12 charity groups in Qatar of being “linked to terror.” Qatar has called the move "unjustified.