UAE TO FILE UN COMPLAINT AFTER QATARI JETS ENDANGER AIRLINERS
TV footage shows one fighter flying across path of passenger plane, and radar warning of possible collision
The UAE said yesterday that it would file a complaint against Doha at the UN’s aviation agency after Qatari fighters intercepted two Emirati civilian aircraft.
Saif Al Suwaidi, director general of the General Authority of Civil Aviation, said the UAE would accuse Doha of breaching the Chicago Convention, which governs the use of airspace, in a formal complaint to the International Civil Aviation Organisation.
Qatari fighter jets intercepted the passenger planes in international airspace as they were heading to Bahrain on Monday morning.
Mr Al Suwaidi said the jets twice flew close to the two airliners as they descended towards Bahrain International Airport 30 minutes apart on Monday.
The jets could be seen by the pilots and passengers.
“The Qatari fighter jets flew dangerously close to the UAE airliners and were about 400 feet away from the aircraft,” Mr Al Suwaidi told Sky News Arabia.
He said Bahraini radar determined the fighter jets took off and returned to Doha.
Mr Al Suwaidi would not disclose which UAE airlines had been affected, but Bahrain’s state news agency BNA reported on Monday that one of the flights was Emirates and the other Etihad.
Bahrain’s state TV yesterday broadcast radar footage it described as showing Emirates flight EK837 travelling from Dubai towards Bahrain International Airport at 3,170 metres, and radar signals of the Qatari fighter jets, flying at about 2,600 metres.
The radar screen briefly flashed orange text, which was probably a collision warning.
The station also broadcast footage of an aeronautical chart that showed a Qatari fighter jet flying across the path of an airliner that flew direct from Abu Dhabi to Bahrain.
Mohammed Al Kaabi, undersecretary of Bahrain’s ministry of civil aviation affairs, said Manama had already “filed a report to the International Civil Aviation Organisation about the two separate incidents”.
Mr Al Suwaidi said the UAE could consider re-routing its flights as a precautionary step, Reuters reported.
Asked if the UAE would consider escorting civilian aircraft, he said the Emirates could “use different tools to protect its airlines”. He did not elaborate.
Saudi Arabia condemned Monday’s interceptions, saying
Qatar’s action was considered “a threat to the safety of civil aviation and in violation of international laws and conventions”.
An official at the Saudi ministry of foreign affairs said the flights were “regular, scheduled, with a well-known route that meets the approval of internationally recognised permits”, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Both planes landed safely in Manama and were able to complete their return flights to the UAE without incident.
Mr Al Suwaidi said the flights were regular services and that Qatar had shown no prior objection to their routes.
He did not elaborate on the details of the encounters but said the Qatari jets had acted in a dangerous manner and put the lives of innocent civilians at risk.
Monday’s incident could further escalate tensions between Qatar and the four Arab countries that have been boycotting it since June last year over its support for terrorism and interference in the affairs of its neighbours.
Last week, Doha twice accused Emirati fighter jets of breaching Qatari airspace.
After the first claim, Dr Anwar Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, said Doha’s accusation was “untrue and confused”.
Yacoub Al Hosani, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, yesterday said the UAE Permanent Mission to the UN had delivered the Emirates’ official response to Qatar’s allegations to the Security Council.
The ministry “confirms that the military aircraft was outside Qatari airspace” and condemned Qatar’s efforts to escalate the situation, Wam reported. It said the ministry urged Doha to abide by international laws.
Both planes landed safely in Manama and were able to complete their return flights to the UAE