UAE Denies Reports of Opening Aerospace for Qatari Aircraft

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority denied the reports of opening the country's airspace to Qatar-registered aircraft, the local media reported Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, Qatar's Civil Aviation Authority said that Qatar's national airline carrier, Qatar Airways, would use new air routes for its international flights due to a traffic blockade imposed on Doha by a number of neighboring states amid the ongoing diplomatic row. According to the agency's chairman, "an important course for Qatar Airways has been activated across the international waters for which the UAE is responsible in the Arabian Gulf."

The aviation authority clarified that it had not allowed Qatari aircraft to enter the country's aerospace, but let Doha use the skies above the international waters, managed by the UAE, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

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. Kuwait, serving as a mediator, handed over an ultimatum drafted by the four Arab states with 13 demands to Doha, which Qatar has refused to comply with to date.