British Airways applies to use Qatar planes, staff during strike

Qatar's national carrier may loan British Airways nine of its Airbus A320 aircrafts after more than 30 of its daily flights were cancelled due to a blockade by neighbouring countries.

The British carrier had applied to use Qatar Airways planes and crew members to help the airline fly all passengers to their destinations during planned strikes by some of its cabin staff next month, according to Reuters.

The "wet-leasing" deal would mean that BA pays Qatar to use its aircraft and crew for a two-week period, during which mixed fleet cabin crew are set to go on strike over sanctions on union members involved in previous industrial action, in a long-running dispute about pay.

"The application has been made on the grounds that the lease is justified on the basis of exceptional needs ... to enable British Airways to continue passenger operations in light of planned operational disruption by its mixed fleet cabin crew," according to a document from Britain's Civil Aviation Authority.

The deal could help Qatar make more use of its planes after its operations were disrupted by a blockade from four Arab nations.

On 5 June, Saudi Arabia and allied states cut all ties with Qatar, closing its only land border, banning planes from their airspace and barring Qatari nationals from passing through their airports.

They accused Qatar of supporting and funding "terrorism" and working with regional rival Iran - charges Doha vehemently denies.

UN intervention

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On Friday, the United Nations aviation agency agreed to hold a special hearing on 30 June after Qatar requested its intervention in the diplomatic crisis.

Qatari transport minister Jassim Saif al-Sulaiti told Reuters that the Gulf state wants the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to open international air routes over Gulf waters currently managed by the UAE.

ICAO's decision to a hold a briefing comes after Qatar Airways chief executive Akbar al-Baker expressed concerns that the UN agency was not working quickly enough to solve the crisis.

The international body cannot impose rule on states but its 191 member countries normally enforce its international aviation standards.

Circumventing the blockade

Flight restrictions by the anti-Qatar alliance have also affected tens of thousands of Indian migrants working in Qatar, prompting the Indian government to intervene.

India's civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said on Wednesday the government had asked state-owned Air India and commercial carrier Jet Airways to run extra flights to and from Doha between 22 June and 8 July.

"We'll operate additional flights… for our citizens not able to get tickets at Doha," Raju wrote on Twitter.

"All steps necessary for timely movement of our citizens from Doha will be ensured," Raju added.

A senior Indian foreign ministry official told AFP that extra commercial flights were being run to "facilitate movement of those who wish to travel to India but cannot do that via Qatar's neighbouring countries".