Qatari fighters intercept civilian planes: UAE
ABU DHABI, January 15, 2018
The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has alleged that two UAE civilian planes were intercepted by Qatari fighter-planes on routine flights to Manama, Bahrain.
The GCAA regarded this incident as "a renewed breach of international laws and conventions, and a flagrant and serious threat to the safety of civil aviation", a statement was quoted a saying by the official Wam news agency.
The authority is examining legal options available to it via the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and other relevant bodies, it said.
Describing the first incident, the GCAA said it received a message from one of the UAE's national carriers on Monday morning that one of its aircraft on a flight to Manama (Bahrain) on a normal route had been intercepted by Qatari fighters.
The flight was a regular, scheduled service, on a known flight-path that met all the required and internationally recognised approvals and permits, the report said.
"The United Arab Emirates rejects this threat to the safety of air traffic and will take all the necessary legal measures to ensure the safety and security of civil aviation," the GCAA said.
