Politics of Air Transport: The Qatar Issue

In June 2017, numerous flights of Qatar Airways had to be cancelled after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates closed their airspace to Qatari planes, seemingly in response to Qatar’s alleged support of Islamic militants and Iran. Eventually, nine countries imposed diplomatic restrictions on Qatar, one of which was to close their airspace to aircraft with Qatari nationality, which inevitably included landing rights in their territories. This blockade caused the national carrier of Qatar considerable inconvenience and costs, having to reroute its flights. Although Qatar applied to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) under Article 84 of the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention), which provides for dispute settlement by the ICAO Council, the Council refused to discuss Qatar’s complaint, claiming ICAO does not involve itself with “political” issues. Throughout its history of over 70 years, ICAO’s leaders have labored under the misapprehension that ICAO is an exclusively “technical” organization, totally ignoring (by design or feckless insouciance) the economic aspect of civil aviation in which lies a definite role for ICAO under the Chicago Convention. This ineptitude has done air transport a grave disservice. This paper, while distancing itself from the pros and cons of the Gulf rift, will examine the meaning and purpose of ICAO in this context.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/19347170
• Authors:
  • Abeyratne, Ruwantissa
• Publication Date: 2018

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: References;
• Pagination: pp 179-192
• Serial:
  • Issues in Aviation Law and Policy
  • Volume: 17
  • Issue Number: 2
  • Publisher: International Aviation Law Institute
  • ISSN: 1934-7170
  • Serial URL: https://las.depaul.edu/centers-and-institutes/chaddick-institute-for-metropolitan-development/research-and-publications/Pages/issues-aviation-law-policy.aspx

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Airspace (Law); Airspace utilization; Civil aviation; Economic factors; Terrorism
• Geographic Terms: Qatar; Saudi Arabia; United Arab Emirates
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01677812
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 15 2018 9:35AM