UAE files complaint against Qatar at ICAO

Manama : United Arab Emirates has officially a detailed formal complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), after Qatari fighter jets intercepted Emirati civilian aircraft four times during regular, scheduled flight paths, which endangered civilian passengers’ lives.

General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Director-General Saif Mohammed Al Suwaidi said that the UAE had filed a detailed complaint as per Article No. 54 of the Chicago Convention, which takes into account the national interests of ICAO member states.

He said that these aggressive actions by Qatar against UAE civilian aircrafts amount to deliberate violations of international covenants and conventions governing civil aviation and are a threat to the safety of civil aviation, stressing his country’s outright rejection of these acts.

In a statement to UAE news agency (WAM), he said pointed out that these provocations are unjustified, and place the safety of passengers and crew members at heightened risk. The GCAA Director-General said that ICAO would later determine the date in which parties will investigate the complaint. Qatari fighter jets approached two UAE civilian aircrafts during scheduled routine flights last week. In January, a similar incident occurred where Qatari military aircraft intercepted two other civilian planes, threatening the safety of passengers and crew, and violating international laws and conventions.