Old King Coal
6th Jun 2017, 08:45
As of Monday June 5th, there are several new sanctions affecting operations in the Middle East, if any part of your flight involves Qatar.
Primarily this will affect ops to/from OTHH (the primary Doha airport) and OTBD.
Air Travel
UAE airlines, including Etihad Airways, Emirates Airlines, FlyDubai and Air Arabia have suspended their operations with Qatar.
Because of sanctions applied by other Middle Eastern countries, you will find restrictions applied for these operations.
If you are a Qatari-registered aircraft, then most of the following list of countries are completely off limits; whereas if you are not a Qatari-registered aircraft the specifics are as follows:
Egypt: You now need permission to overfly Egypt if operating to Qatar.
Bahrain: You cannot operate from an airport in Bahrain to an airport in Qatar, and vice versa.
Saudi Arabia: Special permission required to overfly/depart Saudi to Qatar.
UAE (Emirates FIR): Ops to Qatar require special approval.
ATC Routings
OTHH is a busy airport. Traffic to and from Qatar, much of which is now banned from neighbouring countries, will reroute primarily into Iran.
Iran has published a Traffic Orientation Scheme:
- Qatar outbound Northbound via Tehran FIR-Ankara FIR. FL150-FL190 routing RAGAS-UT430-LAGSA -UL223-TESVA/ALRAM.
- Qatar outbound Southbound via Muscat and Karachi FIRs, FL150-FL190 via RAGAS-M561-ASVIB (KARACHI FIR), and RAGAS-M561-KHM-NEW FIR (MUSCAT FIR)-BUBAS
- Inbound to Qatar from North: FL240-FL300 via ALRAM-UT36-MIDSI
- Inbound to Qatar from South: FL240-FL260 via N312/A453-MIDSI.
Qatar and Bahrain
Qatar does not have its own FIR. It sits entirely within the Bahrain FIR. For this reason, Bahrain's position on airspace availability to traffic to and from Qatar is critical. The Doha TMA extends from SFC to FL245. Above that sits the Bahrain UIR.
http://tinyurl.com/ychzs3qn
At present, Bahrain has published two routes available to traffic into/out of Qatar:
- Outbound: UT430 via RAGAS
- Inbound: UR659 via MIDSI
Visa situation
The following is a summary of the impact of the entry, residency and transit ban:
Qatari nationals in the region: Qatari nationals will be denied entry, residency and transit through the territories of the Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Qatari nationals in UAE: Qatari diplomatic staff will have 48 hours to leave, and regular Qatari nationals must exit the country in the next 14 days.
Bahraini, Egyptian, Saudi, UAE, and Yemeni nationals: UAE and Bahraini authorities have announced bans for their nationals from travelling, transiting or residing in Qatar. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen have not yet applied similar restrictions on their nationals.
Other foreign nationals currently residing in Qatar: It is not yet clear whether holders of the Residency Visas from Qatar will face restrictions for obtaining Visit Visas to Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It is also unclear whether there will be any impact on foreign residents of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE seeking entry to Qatar based on the Visitor Visa for Gulf Cooperation Council residents.
Other Countries: The relationship between Kuwait, Oman and Qatar remains unchanged.
All of the above is for information only and not for 'operational' use.
Primarily this will affect ops to/from OTHH (the primary Doha airport) and OTBD.
Air Travel
UAE airlines, including Etihad Airways, Emirates Airlines, FlyDubai and Air Arabia have suspended their operations with Qatar.
Because of sanctions applied by other Middle Eastern countries, you will find restrictions applied for these operations.
If you are a Qatari-registered aircraft, then most of the following list of countries are completely off limits; whereas if you are not a Qatari-registered aircraft the specifics are as follows:
Egypt: You now need permission to overfly Egypt if operating to Qatar.
Bahrain: You cannot operate from an airport in Bahrain to an airport in Qatar, and vice versa.
Saudi Arabia: Special permission required to overfly/depart Saudi to Qatar.
UAE (Emirates FIR): Ops to Qatar require special approval.
ATC Routings
OTHH is a busy airport. Traffic to and from Qatar, much of which is now banned from neighbouring countries, will reroute primarily into Iran.
Iran has published a Traffic Orientation Scheme:
- Qatar outbound Northbound via Tehran FIR-Ankara FIR. FL150-FL190 routing RAGAS-UT430-LAGSA -UL223-TESVA/ALRAM.
- Qatar outbound Southbound via Muscat and Karachi FIRs, FL150-FL190 via RAGAS-M561-ASVIB (KARACHI FIR), and RAGAS-M561-KHM-NEW FIR (MUSCAT FIR)-BUBAS
- Inbound to Qatar from North: FL240-FL300 via ALRAM-UT36-MIDSI
- Inbound to Qatar from South: FL240-FL260 via N312/A453-MIDSI.
Qatar and Bahrain
Qatar does not have its own FIR. It sits entirely within the Bahrain FIR. For this reason, Bahrain's position on airspace availability to traffic to and from Qatar is critical. The Doha TMA extends from SFC to FL245. Above that sits the Bahrain UIR.
http://tinyurl.com/ychzs3qn
At present, Bahrain has published two routes available to traffic into/out of Qatar:
- Outbound: UT430 via RAGAS
- Inbound: UR659 via MIDSI
Visa situation
The following is a summary of the impact of the entry, residency and transit ban:
Qatari nationals in the region: Qatari nationals will be denied entry, residency and transit through the territories of the Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Qatari nationals in UAE: Qatari diplomatic staff will have 48 hours to leave, and regular Qatari nationals must exit the country in the next 14 days.
Bahraini, Egyptian, Saudi, UAE, and Yemeni nationals: UAE and Bahraini authorities have announced bans for their nationals from travelling, transiting or residing in Qatar. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen have not yet applied similar restrictions on their nationals.
Other foreign nationals currently residing in Qatar: It is not yet clear whether holders of the Residency Visas from Qatar will face restrictions for obtaining Visit Visas to Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It is also unclear whether there will be any impact on foreign residents of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE seeking entry to Qatar based on the Visitor Visa for Gulf Cooperation Council residents.
Other Countries: The relationship between Kuwait, Oman and Qatar remains unchanged.
All of the above is for information only and not for 'operational' use.