Kaleyesus Bekele

As Qatar marks the first anniversary of the airspace blockade by its Gulf neighbors, it called for not only its own right to access of international airspace but also a wider respect for the interests of aviation around the world regardless of politics.

 


On June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt shut down their airspace to the tiny gas-rich state of Qatar. Since then national carrier Qatar Airways has navigated turbulent times, as the blockade has increased the airline’s operational costs due to its need to use longer, alternative air routes.&nbsp; &nbsp;

 


At a concluding press conference of the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) annual general meeting on June 5 in Sydney, Australia, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker expressed a satisfaction with IATA’s support for his airline at a time he said politics threaten the rights of citizens to travel freely.

 


“The international community already made up their mind on what they feel is wrong,” he asserted. “IATA, as an industry leader, has not taken this subject lightly. I am sure that the director general will continue his effort to make sure that the business of free air travel is respected.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

 


Following the closing press conference, IATA announced its board had elected Al Baker its new chairman. He succeeds Qantas Airways’ CEO Alan Joyce.

 


IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac told a group of aviation journalists that the airspace blockade of Qatar amounts to a political issue that must get resolved through diplomatic means. “As a trade association of the airline industry I cannot make comments on political issues,” de Juniac said. “[However], as a global airline body IATA strongly believes in free movement of people...We believe in air connectivity. So we want Qatar to have a free connectivity with the rest of the world.” &nbsp;

 


For his part, Al Akbar expressed confidence in his airline’s ability to weather the ill effects of the blockade. “The blockade has some impacts but the airline is growing,” he said. “Our passenger numbers are growing.”

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