Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) has condemned the statement by the UAE Civil Aviation Authority, accusing Qatar of threatening air safety and security.
QCAA reiterated that Qatar is committed to maintaining the highest standards in civil aviation safety and security.In a statement, QCAA said the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has unfortunately been manipulating facts to inflame and mislead the international community. The latest statement is proof of this, it said, adding the reality is that the Qatari military aircraft was flying towards the north-east of Qatar on a mission known to the navigation services provider in Bahrain following the entry of a UAE military aircraft over Qatari waters without the permission of Qatar. The UAE military plane was flying close to the route of the UAE civilian aircraft referred to in the statement of the UAE Civil Aviation Authority.
The statement said that this was not the first time that the UAE deliberately sent military aircraft to pass through the airspace in conjunction with the passage of UAE civilian aircraft without permission from the relevant authorities in Qatar, despite repeated calls to the provider of navigation services in Bahrain to coordinate in this regard. The failure to heed is an irresponsible act by the UAE and Bahrain.
QCAA said such fabricated complaints from the UAE Civil Aviation Authority, accompanied by media hype, are unsuccessful attempts to divert the attention away from numerous violations of Qatar's airspace by UAE military aircraft since the beginning of the Gulf crisis in June 2017, and to interfere with the complaints filed by Qatar in ICAO , which will be decided in the next two months.
It pointed out that the continued bias by the air navigation service provider in Bahrain - at a time when neutrality is supposed to be honoured since it is responsible for managing navigation in this region - is a cause for concern and condemnation.
The QCAA stressed that the UAE and Bahrain should deal with the aviation sector professionally, seriously and responsibly.
