Jeddah: The Board of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) held an informal session on Saturday in which the Secretariat General of the ICAO presented updated information about the safety of the skies over the Arabian Gulf.
According to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA), the director of the ICAO’s Middle East Regional Office, Mohammad Rahma, said that in direct cooperation with the countries that announced severing of their relations with Qatar, office staff activated at 8.30am on June 5 the contingency plan set forth in Annex XI to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago, 1944).
In response to a question from a member of the Board, the Director of the Air Navigation Bureau, Steve Kramer, said the General Secretariat of the ICAO has no concerns about the safety of the skies over the international waters in the Gulf, as the boycotting states possess modern navigation devices and abilities covering all international airspace over the Arabian Gulf, adding that the Regional Bureau will hold a meeting on July 6 in Cairo with representatives of the countries that have cut ties with Qatar to discuss any new demands from Qatar regarding the opening of new air routes over the international waters in the Gulf.
A number of international representatives commended the efforts being exerted by the countries and the Secretariat General of the ICAO, especially the staff of the Middle East Regional Office, and requested continuing cooperation between the Regional Office, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt and Bahrain to ensure safety over international waters in the Arabian Gulf, SPA reported.
WAM
