QATAR is reported to be negotiating with the UN-backed International Civil Aviation Organisation to regain control of its airspace after the sudden decision by its Arab neighbours to impose blockades.
Specialist website airtrafficmanagement.net said it was understood the small Gulf state was negotiating to regain control of its sovereign airspace under the Chicago Convention aviation treaty.
Qatar is surrounded by airspace controlled by Bahrain, which joined Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt in severing economic and diplomatic ties over alleged links to terrorism that Qatar refutes.
Qatar Airways was left two restricted routes into Iranian airspace after ICAO negotiated a deal with Bahrain.
The new arrangements meant a 17 per cent increase in traffic over Iran as it moved to cope with an additional 250 overflights and also saw Iranian air traffic controllers taking over lower level approach and departure services previously handled for Doha by Bahrain.
“When Bahrain banned Qatar from using its airspace, it meant there was suddenly no way to fly,’’ executive board member of Iran Airports & Air Navigation Company executive board member Ebrahim Moradi, told Air Traffic Management. “After ICAO applied pressure, Bahrain did, however, allow Qatari air traffic to use two limited corridors, albeit in very limited airspace to and from Iran.
“Immediately, Qatar asked Iran to control those outbound and inbound flights at lower levels, meaning that Iranian en-route controllers must now offer an approach control service to 410 Qatari daily flights, too. All because Bahrain controllers now do it for Qatar; Doha no longer has approach controllers to offer this service.”
ICAO took part in talks last week between transport ministers and aviation officials from the states involved in the ban but there was no sign of a resolution. Reuters reported the talks did not involve a meeting between Qatari officials and those from the other Gulf states and Egypt.
This week, Qatar Airways launched a thinly-veiled advertising tilt at the action taken by its Arab neighbours..
The advertisement, which could also apply to the Gulf airline’s fight with US carriers, talks about travel going “beyond borders and prejudices’’ and the right of passengers to go where they want.
“The sky, there should be no borders up here, only horizons,’’ the advertisement says as it passes through a cloudscape and cuts to a young girl staring through an aircraft window. “As an airline we don’t believe in boundaries.’’
Qatar chief executive Akbar Al Baker told CNN the ad was designed to send “a subtle message that what is happening to my country is not fair”.
Al Baker said Qatar was taking the high ground with Etihad, Saudia and Egyptair offices in Qatar still open.
“Their offices at the airport have their signage, their lounge is being built at Hammad International Airport [in Doha] by the contractor, we never ever stopped anybody because we do not — Qatar will always act within its legal framework,” he said.
Qatar says it is pushing ahead with expansion plans and 90 per cent of its global network is operating as scheduled.
Read: Qatar vows to continue expanding network despite ban
