Bahrain’s radar evidence proves dangerous fly-by of Qatari jets

Dubai : Bahrain yesterday released radar tracks showing Qatari fighter jets dangerously passing by Emirati commercial airliners on their way to the Kingdom.

The radar footages aired by Bahrain state television showed Emirates flight No. EK837 from Dubai flying toward Bahrain International Airport at 3,170 meters (10,400 feet).

Qatari fighter jets flew at around 2,590 meters (8,500 feet) and crossed briefly in front of the Emirates plane’s flight path. The radar screen briefly flashes orange text, likely a collision warning.

According to the footage, the fighter jets passed the Emirates flight at a distance of 3.2 kilometres (2 miles).

The broadcaster also aired footage of an aeronautical chart showing a Qatari fighter jet flying across the flight path of a just-passed Etihad airliner, both at 24,000 meters (8,000 feet). It identified the flight as ETD23B, which corresponds to Etihad flight No. EY371, a direct Abu Dhabi-Bahrain flight that took off Monday morning.

Both flights flew in international waters just north of the tip of Qatar, before landing in Bahrain.

277 passengers 

The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, GCAA, in a statement released earlier, said that the two civilian aircrafts were carrying a total of 277 passengers and were preparing to land in Bahrain International Airport when the incident happened. 

“The Qatari fighter jets intercepted the first plane at 10:30, while the second was intercepted at 11:05 while flying at 9,000 to 10,000 feet altitude in regular flights approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO,” said Saif Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the GCAA.

The UAE’s state-run WAM news agency on Monday quoted Saif al-Suwaidi, the director-general of its civil aviation division, as saying the crew and passengers onboard the flights saw the military aircraft.

“Moreover, the crews and passengers saw the incidents with their naked eyes, which proves that the interception posed a present and clear threat to the lives of innocent civilians,” he informed.

Previously agreed path

Al Suwaidi went on to say that the Qatari side had neither shown prior objection to the use of the aircraft’s path nor issued a warning after the use of the path.

“The UAE rejects this threat to the safety of flights and will take all necessary legal actions to ensure safety and security of civil aviation traffic,” he said. 

It “constituted a clear and explicit threat to the lives of innocent civilians,” he said. On Tuesday, the UAE said it planned to file a complaint to the United Nations over what happened Monday.

UAE refute claims 

In another development, UAE, reportedly, has filed its response to the United Nations refuting allegations by Qatar that UAE military aircraft violated Qatari airspace.

Gulf News, quoting Yaqoub Yousuf Al Hosani, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, said the UAE Permanent Mission to the UN in New York had delivered the country’s response that refutes Qatari allegations contained in a memorandum to the UN Security Council concerning the alleged violation of its airspace by a UAE military aircraft.

In a statement, the Ministry condemned in the strongest terms Qatar’s usual tactic of escalating tensions. The Ministry reiterated that the military aircraft was flying outside of Qatari airspace.

Qatar’s stock exchange dropped some 2.5 percent in trading Monday, one of its biggest jolts since the crisis began. 

Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE cut off Qatar’s land, sea and air routes on June 5 over its alleged support of extremists and close ties with Iran.