As per the information from Bahrain, the radar tracks depicted the Qatari fighter jets passing by Emirati commercial airline intercepted its way to the island nation. The situation has started a new dispute between the Gulf nations amid the diplomatic crisis gripping Doha.
The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority on Monday announced that Qatar’s military aircraft intercepted two civilian UAE planes when they were on their way to Bahrain.
The two alleged fly-bys on Monday morning could further escalate tensions between Qatar and the four Arab nations that have been boycotting it for months, among them the UAE, home to the world’s busiest international airport. They also could affect long-haul airline travel, as the region’s carriers are a crucial link between the East and West.
The Emirati officials reported that the Qatari fighter jets intercepted their civilian aircraft but the Qatari officials denied it and dismissed the footage as unauthenticated video.
Bahrain state television aired radar footage the broadcaster described as showing Emirates flight No. EK837 from Dubai flying toward Bahrain International Airport at 3,170 meters (10,400 feet). Two other radar signals the broadcaster described as Qatari fighter jets flew at around 2,590 meters (8,500 feet) in front of the Emirates flight. The radar screen briefly flashes orange text, likely a collision warning.
The broadcaster also aired footage of an aeronautical chart it said showed 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 Flight No. EY371, a direct Abu Dhabi-Bahrain flight that took off Monday morning.
The UAE strongly condemned the move, and said it will take every step possible to ensure safety of its planes and passengers.
These matter should be dealt with by filing a formal complaint to the U.N. Security Council, as Qatar has done following two breaches by UAE military aircraft of the state of Qatar’s airspace, and not by distributing unauthenticated videos to the media as how the blockading nations have done since the start of the crisis, reported the officials.
