Blocking Airspace Access for Qatar Aircraft

Blocking Airspace Access for Qatar Aircraft

Blocking Airspace Access for Qatar Aircraft. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates (UAE) say they will close their airspace to Qatar planes after severing diplomatic relations with the Gulf state, which they say support terrorist groups.

Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates say the closure of their airspace will take place "within 24 hours", while Egypt and Saudi Arabia have not yet specified when the closure will take effect.

In a series of tweets, the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs says that the movement is necessary to prevent the country from "the dangers of terrorism and extremism," adding that Qatar has continuously supported the Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates say that "Qatar's policy of destabilizing the security and stability of the region" led to severe diplomatic relations.

Qatar Airways has not made any statement on the possible cancellation of flights to the four countries. A search on the airline's website shows that flights remain available from Doha to Cairo, Jeddah and Riyadh.