Dubai: Aviation authorities in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain said on Tuesday the air embargo applies only to Qatari-owned airlines, aircraft or to companies registered in the Gulf state.
The air ban does not extend to private companies and chartered flights, which can continue to use the countries’ airports, and can transit through the airspace to and from Qatar.
The announcements were in reaction to remarks by Qatar Airways’ chief executive that the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain were violating international law by shutting out Qatari flights.
The three countries’ aviation bodies also said non-Qatari private and chartered flights from Qatar must submit requests to them at least 24 hours before crossing the airspace.
The request should include a list of names and nationalities of crews and passengers, and the cargo carried by the aircraft, they said.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar a week ago, accusing it of fomenting regional unrest, supporting terrorism and getting too close to Iran, all of which Doha denies.
In a statement issued by WAM, The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said that it is fully committed to the Chicago convention, but the state reserves the sovereign right under international law to take any precautionary measures to protect its national security if necessary.
Similar statements were also issued by Saudi Arabia and Bahraini aviation authorities after a CNN interview of Chief Executive of Qatar Airways, Akbar Al Baker, who criticised the three Arab countries for the airspace closure, according to Reuters.
Al Baker had appealed to the International Civil Aviation Organisation, a UN agency which administers the Chicago convention that guarantees civil overflights to declare the airspace closure as illegal.
