Qatar denies UAE accusations of airspace violation
Qatar has denied the United Arab Emirates' accusations of intercepting two passenger flights, reported Al Jazeera on Tuesday.
This is the third such incident over airspace in the wake of the blockade on Doha by Gulf States which began last summer.
The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority said on Monday that two Qatari fighter jets had "dangerously approached" two UAE-registered commercial aircrafts while flying over Bahraini airspace, reported Al Jazeera. The UAE called it a "flagrant and serious threat to civil aviation and air navigation safety".
The UAE state agency WAM stated that one of the aircrafts had to go out of its way to avoid collision with the Qatari Fighter jet.
The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) responded to the accusations by saying that the UAE itself has breached Qatari airspace multiple times and is using this instance as a cover up. It further stated that the QCAA is committed to the highest level of aviation quality and safety standards.
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain, Yemen and the Maldives severed their ties with Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism in an unprecedented rift between the most powerful members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The coordinated move dramatically escalated to Naval, Air and Land Blockade of Qatar which is still in place.
Earlier in January, the rivals had traded similar accusations. Doha had complained that an Emirati fighter jet had violated its airspace and that it lodged a protest at the United Nations about the violation which allegedly took place on Dec 21.
The UAE, however, had quickly denied the accusation.
“The Qatari complaint about the Emirati violation of its airspace is untrue and confused,” UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash had said. “We are working to respond officially to it with evidence and proof. What we see is an escalation and unjustified."