Qatari fighters fly dangerously close to UAE plane

Manama, Apr. 22 (BNA): Qatari fighters flew dangerously close to an Emirati airbus 320, Flight ETD88, en route from Dammam to Abu Dhabi at 10:50 am, the Civil Aviation Affairs said. The flight met all requirements and the plane was flying at an altitude of 25,000 feet above the international waters, Route UN318 within Bahrain Flight Information Region (FIR). The Qatari fighters flew too close to the UAE civilian aircraft, jeopardising its safety, which required the intervention of the air control in Bahrain to take the necessary procedures to maintain safety of aviation and the pilot of the plane to manoeuvre and lower it to an altitude of 24,600 feet in order to avoid the Qatari fighters. The statement said the incident constituted a clear violation of international regulations, threatened the safety of international air traffic, posed serious risks to air traffic and put the lives of passengers and property at risk.  Bahrain reserves the right to take all the measures with the International Civil Aviation Organisation and related organisations to put an end to such illegal practices carried out by the Qatari authorities, the statement added.