Doha on Monday denied allegations levelled by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that Qatari fighter jets had ‘intercepted’ a passenger plane en route to Bahrain, as both countries are engaged in an ongoing row over alleged airspace violations.
Qatar, however, denied the allegations in a tweet. “The state of Qatar announces that the claims of Qatari fighter planes intercepting a UAE civil aircraft (are) completely false,” Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Lulwa al-Khater said on Twitter.
“Qatari fighter jets intercept an Emirati civilian aircraft during a routine flight to Manama in a flagrant threat to civil aviation safety and in a clear violation of international law,” the UAE General Authority of Civil Aviation said.
“This is a routine flight that has all the required paperwork,” it said in a statement published by the state news agency.
Four UAE-based airlines ─ Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia ─ operate flights to Bahrain.
Spokespersons for the airlines contacted by AFP could not immediately confirm or deny the news.
The UAE is one of four Arab states that cut all relations with Qatar in June, accusing it of supporting extremists and of being close to Iran. Doha denies the accusations.
No further details were immediately available.