10 August, 2017
The Chairman of the Civil Aviation Authority, H E Abdullah bin Nasser Turki Al Subaie, said yesterday that an important course for Qatar Airways has been activated across the worldwide waters for which the UAE is responsible in the Arabian Gulf.
On the same day, Saudi Arabia also denied news reports that it allows Qatar carriers to use its airports and airspace.
Spokesman Anthony Philbin says that since June 5, the aviation organization has been working with various countries in the Middle East to work out access to airspace for Qatar-registered aircraft.
Al-Baker also said Qatar Airways was evaluating whether to use air routes which media reports said were opened this week by countries embroiled in a political dispute with Qatar.
The Civil Aviation Authority has announced that Qatar Airways and worldwide airlines will begin using the new air routes for their flights, which were approved following the extraordinary meeting of the global Civil Aviation Organization's (ICAO) Executive Council held last week.
Saj Ahmad, chief analyst at the aviation consultancy Strategic Aero Research, said the new corridor, though temporary, bodes "well for a longer-term solution that may provide much-needed breathing space for Qatar Airways".
In June, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt broke off diplomatic relations with Qatar and blocked air, sea and land traffic to and from the country, accusing Doha of supporting terrorism and interfering in their internal affairs.
A meeting held in Montreal last week discussed contingency routes that had been planned as part of a preliminary agreement reached earlier this month, but not yet opened to Qatar-registered flights, Al Jazeera reports.
