The United Arab Emirates said Qatari fighter planes intercepted a civilian aircraft carrying 86 passengers to Bahrain on Sunday, UAE state news agency WAM reported.
The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, GCAA, said that Qatari fighter jets flew dangerously close to the Emirati aircraft, less than 700 feet, while passing through the Bahraini airspace.
In a statement, the GCAA said that the UAE civilian craft had to take within seconds evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision. It did not name the airliner involved.
The GCAA has further stated that jeopardizing the safety and well-being of civilian travelers in any way was completely unacceptable, adding that it would file a case with the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, against this aggression.
Sunday’s incident is not the first time the UAE has accused Qatar’s military of intercepting its civilian aircraft.
In March two Qatari jets flew dangerously close to two civilian aircraft traveling from the UAE while they were in Bahraini airspace, the Emirates civil aviation authority.
According to WAM, the GCCA condemned “provocative action” at the time, which it said followed two similar incidents had been reported by the UAE to the ICAO, the United Nations’ aviation agency.
Qatar denied the claim in a statement by its civil aviation authority saying the UAE was trying to cover up for its own violations of Qatari airspace.
The UAE, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt, accuse Qatar of supporting extremists. Qatar has denied the charge and accused the four countries of trying to curtail its sovereignty.
