Abu Dhabi – The United Arab Emirates accused Qatari fighter jets of”intercepting” a passenger plane en route to Bahrain on Monday, in anongoing row over alleged airspace violations.
“Qatari fighter jets intercept an Emirati civilian aircraft during aroutine flight to Manama in a flagrant threat to civil aviation safety andin a clear violation of international law,” the UAE General Authority ofCivil Aviation said.
“This is a routine flight that has all the required paperwork,” it said ina statement published by the state news agency.
Four UAE-based airlines — Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia –operate flights to Bahrain.
Spokespersons for the airlines contacted by AFP could not immediatelyconfirm or deny the news.
The United Arab Emirates is one of four Arab states that cut all relationswith Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting Islamist extremists and ofbeing close to Shiite Iran. Doha denies the accusations.
No further details were immediately available. – AFP