UN aviation agency to intervene in Qatar airspace blockade

The United Nations aviation agency said on Wednesday that it is reviewing Qatar's request to intervene in a diplomatic spat which has seen a Saudi-led bloc close its airspace to flights from Doha.

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a UN body which regulates international air travel, will host talks with senior officials from Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Egypt at its Montreal headquarters on Thursday to seek a "consensus-based solution" that addressed "current regional concerns."

"ICAO is presently reviewing requests from the government of Qatar to assess the flight restrictions imposed upon it by neighbouring states," an ICAO statement said, according to Reuters.

"We are working to bring these states together towards a solution which satisfies both their current regional concerns and the global needs and expectations of passengers and shippers."

Most officials due to attend the meeting will be transport ministers, an ICAO representative said.

The ICAO was created in 1944 after the United States invited more than 50 allies to agree to a common air navigation system.

The international body's decision to intervene in the Gulf airspace blockade is a rare instance in attempting to mediate disputes between states.

The UAE's aviation authority said it was committed to the ICAO's Chicago Convention but reserved the right to take precautionary security measures if necessary.

Last week, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain banned all "Qatari aviation companies and aircraft registered in the state of Qatar" from landing or transiting through their airspace, a joint statement said.

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar al-Baker said the move by Saudi Arabia and its allies was an "illegal blockade".

The move came after Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Egypt along with other Arab and Muslims countries cut off diplomatic ties and transport links to Qatar on June 5 over its alleged support for extremist groups - an allegation Qatar vehemently denies.

Six airlines owned by Gulf nations or their allies have cancelled flights to Qatar in the wake of the diplomatic row.