Qatari warplanes ‘intercept’ 2nd civilian aircraft: UAE

By Ahmed al-Masri

DOHA, Qatar (AA) - The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday afternoon alleged that Qatari jet fighters -- for the second time in one day -- had “intercepted” an Emirati civilian aircraft as it approached Bahrain’s international airport.

The claim came only hours after the UAE’s General Authority for Civilian Aviation (GACA) had announced that one of its civilian aircraft had been similarly “intercepted” by Qatari fighters -- allegations Doha categorically denies.

On Monday afternoon, the UAE’s official WAM news agency carried a statement from GACA in which it claimed to have received information that Qatari warplanes had “intercepted a second civilian aircraft as it descended towards the Bahrain International Airport”.

According to GACA, the second intercepted aircraft had been on a “regularly scheduled flight flying along a known flight-path”.

"The UAE rejects this threat to the safety of air traffic and will take all necessary legal measures to ensure the safety and security of civil aviation," the GACA said.

It went on to describe the alleged interceptions as “repeated, flagrant violations of international laws and conventions".

Only hours earlier, the UAE authorities had announced that a civilian aircraft had been similarly “intercepted” by Qatari fighters while en route to Bahraini capital Manama.

Qatari officials, for their part, have strenuously denied the allegations.

In a tweet, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Lulwah Rashid described the allegations as “groundless”.

Last week, Qatar announced that it had filed a complaint with the UN regarding an alleged violation of its airspace last month by a UAE military aircraft -- a claim denied at the time by Abu Dhabi.

Notably, the UAE is a member of a Saudi-led bloc of Arab states that collectively severed ties with Qatar last year for allegedly supporting terrorist groups in the region.

Qatar has consistently denied the accusations against it, describing attempts to isolate it by its fellow Arab states as a breach of international law.