UAE accuses Qatari fighter jets of threatening civil aircraft
The UAE said Qatari fighter jets came dangerously close to a Qatari passenger plane over Bahrain today.
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A Qatari fighter jet. Photo:Aviation Week. |
According to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Civil Aviation Authority, the incident caused the captain of the flight carrying 86 passengers to "turn sharply to avoid a collision".AFPreport
"Qatari fighter jets pursued the UAE civil aircraft and came so close that they were seconds away from impact... a very dangerous and unsafe approach that put the lives of the passengers at risk," the UAE news agency WAM quoted a statement from the authorities as saying. The statement added that the UAE would file a complaint with the International Civil Aviation Organization.
According to Bahrain's Civil Aviation Authority, the UAE Airbus 320 was en route from the eastern Saudi city of Dammam to the capital Abu Dhabi.
Qatar has not commented. The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, imposed travel, diplomatic and trade restrictions on Qatar in June 2017, accusing it of leaning towards regional rival Iran and supporting Islamist extremist groups. Qatar has denied the allegations.
