Qatar Airways sues Arab states for $5bn over airspace blockade
Qatar Airways is seeking $5bn in compensation from four Arab states which have prevented it from using their airspace since 2017.
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have since June that year implemented an air, sea and land blockade on the Gulf nation over accusations that it supports terrorist activity.
Qatar denies the claims, saying that the blockade is instead an attempt to infringe on its sovereignty.
In a statement, the airline said that it had been “specifically targeted” by the quartet “with the objective of shuttering ist local operations, destroying the value of the airline’s investments and causing widespread damage to its global network of operations”.
Measures included closing their airspace and airports to Qatar Airways’ aircraft and revoking the carrier’s licenses and permits to operate, it added.
Qatar Airways is seeking full damages for the blockade in four separate actions covered under three international treaties.
Due to its geographical situation, the carrier has been forced to use Iranian airspace for its flights, leading it to spend more on fuel costs.
Last week the International Court of Justice ruled in favour of Qatar over the dispute, quashing appeals from the quartet that threatened the authority of the International Civil Aviation Authority.
Now that the UN’s highest court has made its judgement, the ICAO is expected to give its final judgement on the sanctions next year.
Qatar Airways chief executive HE Akbar Al Baker said: “The decision by the blockading states to prevent Qatar Airways from operating in their countries and flying over their airspace is a clear breach of civil aviation conventions and several binding agreements they are signatories to.
“After more than three years of efforts to resolve the crisis amicably through dialogue yielded no results, we have taken the decision to issue Notices of Arbitration and pursue all legal remedies to protect our rights and secure full compensation for the violations.
“The blockading states must be held accountable for their illegal actions in the aviation sector, which includes a failure to comply with their obligations under bilateral agreements, multilateral agreements and international law”.