UAE condemns Qatari fighter jets approaching passenger planes in Bahrain airspace

DUBAI, March 26 (Xinhua) -- The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Monday condemned that two Qatari military aircraft flew dangerously close to two UAE civil aircraft in the airspace of Bahrain, UAE state news agency WAM reported.

The approach of the Qatari fighter jets prompted one of the UAE aircraft to maneuver to avoid collisions, said the UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).

The authority called the Qatari action "a clear insistence of disregard of the safety of civil aircraft and air navigation."

The UAE protest marked the second time this year it raised similar claims against Qatar, with complaint being filed to the International Civil Aviation Organization.

On Jan. 14, the GCCA claimed that one Emirates Airline plane, flying from Dubai to Manama, Bahrain, and one passenger jet operated by Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways were "intercepted" by Qatari military jets.

The interrupted jets landed eventually at their planned destination, but with significant delays.

The GCAA said it stresses the right of the UAE "to take all measures guaranteed by international law" by condemning such "irresponsible actions" towards civil air traffic.

The UAE, along with its Arab allies Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, cut diplomatic and economic relations with Qatar in June last year, accusing Qatar of funding extremism and aligning itself too closely to their regional rival Iran.

Qatar denied the "terrorism" charge and increased trade relations with Iran and Turkey in order to mitigate trade losses due to the boycott imposed by the Arab quartet.

Qatari planes have been banned from flying through the airspace of the Arab quartet since the start of the diplomatic spat. Enditem