DUBAI (IANS) — The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Wednesday denied opening its sovereign airspace to transit registered aircraft in Qatar, the Emirati official WAM news agency reported.
The General Authority of Civil Aviation in the UAE confirmed in a statement that it “denied the opening of airspace to aircraft registered in Qatar,” Xinhua reported.
“What has been allowed is the use of the airspace that lies above international waters and is managed by the UAE,” the agency said in a statement.
The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain, known as the “Arab quartet” cut diplomatic ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing them of supporting and financing terrorism.
They submitted a list of 13 requests, which the Kuwaiti mediator handed over to Qatar on June 22, in a move to resolve the existing diplomatic crisis.
Qatar rejected the demands, in a response that the four countries considered very negative, and decided to continue the boycott of the former, and to consider new sanctions against it.
Meanwhile, Bahrain on Wednesday denied media reports that it has opened its airspace to Qatar Airways, affirming that the country’s sovereign skies remain closed to all planes owned by or registered in Doha.
“All media reports on Bahrain opening its airspace to Qatar Airways are misinformation and go counter to reality,” the Bahrain News Agency quoted the Civil Aviation Affairs at the Bahraini Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunication as saying.
The country’s Civil Aviation Affairs is enforcing all measures taken in coordination with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Bureau in Cairo to ensure safety of air traffic, including the allocation of additional contingency routes over High Seas through Bahrain for aviation data, said the Ministry.
It added: “This measure has been taken by the Kingdom of Bahrain in compliance with ICAO’s directives to ensure safety in the air traffic system over international waters and it does not mean that the Kingdom has allowed the Qatar Airways to use its sovereign airspace.”
