Flight corridors for Qatar Airways opened up: ICAO

Montrea : Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to open up flight corridors for Qatar’s state-owned flag carrier Qatar Airways, the world aviation agency said yesterday.

The Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has been working with “various Middle Eastern states to ensure equitable access to airspace for Qatar-registered aircraft” since June 5, ICAO spokesman Anthony Philbin said.

“Some existing air route availability has been assured, and some new temporary or contingency routes have also been developed,” including through Bahrain and UAE airspace, he said.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt had imposed a ban on Qatar using the bloc’s ports and airspace. 

The air traffic restrictions have caused headaches for the 2.4 million residents of Qatar, 90 per cent of whom are foreigners, as flights were forced to take longer routes, for example, to Southeast Asia.

“The ICAO and the states involved are continuously monitoring related air route suitability and ATM (air traffic management) measures, which may still be subject to further modification if necessary, by mutual agreement,” Philbin said.