UAE Says Qatari Fighter Jets ‘Intercept’ Passenger Plane

The United Arab Emirates accused Qatari fighter jets of “intercepting” a passenger plane en route to Bahrain on Monday, in an ongoing row over alleged airspace violations.

“Qatari fighter jets intercept an Emirati civilian aircraft during a routine flight to Manama in a flagrant threat to civil aviation safety and in a clear violation of international law,” the UAE General Authority of Civil Aviation said.

“This is a routine flight that has all the required paperwork,” it said in a statement published by the state news agency. Four UAE-based airlines — Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia — operate flights to Bahrain.

The United Arab Emirates is one of four Arab states that cut all relations with Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting Islamist extremists and of being close to Shiite Iran. Qatar has denied as “completely false” claims by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that its fighter jets intercepted two Emirati passenger planes.

The GCAA condemned the alleged Qatari action as “a flagrant and serious threat to the safety of civil aviation and a clear violation of international law“, the WAM report said.