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-   -   EK plane intercepted by Qatar Fighter Jets (https://www.pprune.org/middle-east/604218-ek-plane-intercepted-qatar-fighter-jets.html)

delorean79 15th Jan 2018 09:13

Emirati plane intercepted by Qatar Fighter Jets
 
There are reports of a EK plane inbound to Manama, intercepted by Qatar Air Force.

Any news?

Airbubba 15th Jan 2018 09:52

Here's a report that just came across the wire in the U.S. media:


UAE says Qatar fighter jets intercept flight; Doha denies it

By Jon Gambrell | AP January 15 at 5:40 AM

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The United Arab Emirates on Monday claimed that Qatari fighter jets intercepted one of its commercial airliners in international airspace on the way to Bahrain, an allegation promptly denied by a Doha official.

The UAE’s two major airlines declined to immediately comment.

The claim could further escalate tensions between Qatar and the four Arab nations that have been boycotting it for months, among them the UAE, home to the world’s busiest international airport. It also follows two complaints by Qatar to the United Nations about Emirati military aircraft allegedly violating its international airspace amid the diplomatic crisis.

The UAE’s state-run WAM news agency made the claim on Monday, citing the country’s General Civil Aviation Authority.

“The GCAA received a message from one of the UAE’s national carriers on Monday morning that one of its aircraft on a flight to Manama on a normal route had been intercepted by Qatari fighters,” the report said. “The flight was a regular, scheduled service on a known flight-path that met all the required and internationally recognized approvals and permits.”

WAM did not identify the carrier involved, nor did it elaborate on details of the purported encounter.

Saif Al Thani, a Qatari government spokesman, denied the UAE’s claim on Twitter, calling it “completely untrue.” He promised a detailed statement would come later Monday.

The UAE is home to two major national carriers, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad and Dubai-based Emirates. Both airlines declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press.

U.S. Air Force Central Command, which is based at the sprawling al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, also did not immediately have any report about any incident involving a commercial aircraft in the region, said Lt. Col. Damien Pickart, an Air Force spokesman. However, Pickart cautioned that U.S. forces don’t routinely monitor the flights and operations of the Qatari air force.

The Qatar crisis began June 5 with Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE cutting off Doha’s land, sea and air routes over its alleged support of extremists and close ties with Iran.

Qatar has long denied funding extremists. It recently restored full diplomatic relations with Iran, with which it shares a massive offshore natural gas field that made the country and its about 250,000 citizens extremely wealthy.

Recently, Qatar accused Emirati military jets of violating its air space in December and January in two incidents, filing a complaint to the United Nations.

On Sunday night, an exiled Qatari ruling family member once promoted by Saudi Arabia amid its ongoing dispute with Doha appeared in an online video, claiming he’s being held against his will in the United Arab Emirates, an allegation denied by Abu Dhabi.

The video of Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Thani, a little-known ruling family member until the Qatar crisis, also offered new fuel to the stalemated dispute. It also recalled the bizarre, now-reversed resignation of Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri while on a trip Riyadh, a Nov. 4 decision that was widely perceived as Saudi-orchestrated at the time.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...=.aa8fe1a26990

Hansol 15th Jan 2018 10:07

There are 4 UAE National carriers that fly to Bahrain.

Airbubba 15th Jan 2018 10:10

This is the WAM news release, I'm not sure if the plane was EK, EY or FZ from the context.


Mon 15-01-2018 13:35 PM

GCAA: Qatari fighters intercept UAE civil aircraft on flight to Manama

ABU DHABI, 15th January, 2018 (WAM) -- The UAE General Authority of Civil Aviation, GCAA, has described the interception by Qatari fighter-planes of a UAE civilian aircraft on a regular flight on a normal flight path to Manama, Bahrain, as "a flagrant and serious threat to the safety of civil aviation and a clear violation of international laws and conventions."

The GCAA received a message from one of the UAE's national carriers on Monday morning that one of its aircraft on a flight to Manama on a normal route had been intercepted by Qatari fighters.

The flight was a regular, scheduled service, on a known flight-path that met all the required and internationally recognised approvals and permits.

"The United Arab Emirates rejects this threat to the safety of air traffic and will take all the necessary legal measures to ensure the safety and security of civil aviation," the GCAA said.

WAM/Esraa Ismail
GCAA: Qatari fighters intercept UAE civil aircraft on flight to Manama

Airbubba 15th Jan 2018 10:28

Denial of the intercept from Qatari spokesman Saif Al-Thani:


The State of Qatar announces that claims that Qatari fighter jets intercepting an Emirati civilian aircraft is completely untrue. A detailed statement will follow.

2:25 AM - 15 Jan 2018
https://twitter.com/saifaalthani

White Knight 15th Jan 2018 10:58


Originally Posted by Airbubba
I'm not sure if the plane was EK, EY or FZ from the context.

Maybe edit the title of the thread then?

PanAmFalcon 15th Jan 2018 12:04

It’s a commercial jet so could be one of the carriers. Maybe air Arabia?

SU-GCM 15th Jan 2018 12:05

Reports of a second intercept of UAE civil aircraft to Bahrain

https://m.khaleejtimes.com/nation/dubai/qatar-military-jet-intercepts-second-uae-civilian-aircraft

delorean79 15th Jan 2018 12:06

Sky News Arabia reported a second aircraft has been intercepted during descent into Bahrain.

Airbubba 15th Jan 2018 12:18

WAM media release on the second interception:


Mon 15-01-2018 17:01 PM

GCAA: Qatari fighter jets buzz second UAE civil aircraft

ABU DHABI, 15th January, 2018 (WAM) -- The UAE General Civil Aviation Authority, GCAA, has announced a second interception by Qatari fighter-planes of a UAE civilian aircraft on a routine flight to Manama, Bahrain.

The GCAA regarded this incident as "a renewed breach of international laws and conventions, and a flagrant and serious threat to the safety of civil aviation."

The authority is examining legal options available to it via the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO, and other relevant bodies.

WAM/Nour Salman

Airbubba 15th Jan 2018 12:51

The Qataris have recently claimed that UAE aircraft have entered their airspace without authorization. Perhaps these intercepts are in retaliation.

Ambassador Sheikha Alia al-Thani has recently filed protests with the UN. Interestingly, one of the violations appears to involve a UAE special forces Twin Otter.


QNA/New York

The State of Qatar has sent two messages to the UN Secretary-General and to the President of the Security Council on a UAE military airliner flying from the airspace of the United Arab Emirates to the Kingdom of Bahrain, violating Qatar’s airspace at 10:10am on Wednesday, January 3, 2018.

In a letter sent by Qatar’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, HE ambassador Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani, Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations, drew the attention of the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council to a UAE military airlift carrying induction code (DHC-6) coming from the UAE airspace bound for the Kingdom of Bahrain to enter the airspace of Qatar, at 10:10am, on Wednesday, January 3 2018, flying over the country’s special economic zone, without prior authorisation of the competent Qatari authorities.

HE Sheikha Alia noted that an emergency flight order had been given to a Qatari fighter jet for periodic patrols.

It was later discovered that the UAE aircraft was flying between the air corridor UL-768 and the air corridor UM-600 and then landed in Bahrain at 11:27am.

HE Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif al-Thani stressed that the repetition of this terrible incident and the continuation of the UAE in violation of the sovereignty of Qatar and its threat to the safety of its borders and territories is evidence of the UAE authorities continuing their approach to violating international law, conventions, charters and international norms.

On Thursday, Qatar also sent two identical message to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the UN Security Council regarding an Emirati fighter aircraft coming from the UAE airspace violating Qatar’s airspace on December 21, 2017.

SOPS 15th Jan 2018 13:03

Lets just hope they don't start shooting at each other....

Airbubba 15th Jan 2018 15:52

According to the Bahrain Ministry of Foreign Affairs, one of the flights intercepted today was EK837 DXB-BAH:


Bahrain condemns interception of Qatari fighter aircrafts against United Arab Emirates civilian flight to Bahrain

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain strongly condemns that Qatar fighter aircrafts intercepted a civilian aircraft from the United Arab Emirates during its normal flight this morning (Emirates Flight No. 837) while flying on normal routes. It is a clear violation of the relevant international conventions and laws, in particular those of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the provisions of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation and its amendments of 1944.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms that this rejected hostile behavior by Qatar against civil aircrafts has become frequent in recent times and jeopardizes the safety of civil aviation and poses a threat to the lives of civilians.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stresses the Kingdom of Bahrain's full support for the UAE and its backing for all of its measures to maintain its security and stability, to stop these violations and to repel these breaches by the State of Qatar.
News Details

FlightAware plot looks normal to me:

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/...420Z/OMDB/OBBI

krismiler 15th Jan 2018 16:43

Intercept as in escort away from a particular area or follow and monitor. Hopefully not force to divert and land in Qatar.

Jack330 15th Jan 2018 17:52

It looks like another excuse since the blockade didn’t go as planned and qatar is moving on anyways, even with some extra difficulties....

richard III 15th Jan 2018 18:39

Agree with Jack, doubt Qatar would do anything to provoke their irascible neighbours...their strategy has been non confrontation and seems to be working.... to the point that UAE is replacing aggressive rhetoric with action.... this is starting to look dangerous

Airbubba 15th Jan 2018 20:31

Another denial of the intercepts by the Qataris:


A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the baseless allegations made by the United Arab Emirates regarding the interception of UAE civil aircrafts by Qatari fighter jets

15 January 2018|Government Communications Office

The State of Qatar declares that the allegations made by the General Authority of Civil Aviation of the United Arab Emirates regarding the interception of UAE civil aircrafts by Qatari fighter jets are totally baseless.

This allegation comes one day after a C-130 UAE military aircraft breached Qatari airspace at 3:10 pm (Doha local time), a violation for which the State of Qatar intends to take legal action. It appears that the UAE Civil Aviation Authority is trying, through false allegations, to overshadow the news of a UAE military aircraft breaching Qatari airspace.

It also seems that the UAE is trying to draw attention away from other incidents that have caused media crises for them in the last two days.

This systematic attack, through the media, comes after the State of Qatar has delivered letters to both the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the United Nations Security Council regarding two breaches by two UAE military aircraft of the State of Qatar’s airspace.

The first breach occurred on December 21, 2017 by a fighter jet belonging to the UAE, while the second took place on January 3, 2018 by a UAE military airlift.

The fabrication of news is not new in the UAE media’s dealing with the State of Qatar since the beginning of the Gulf crisis, which started with the crime of hacking the website of Qatar News Agency in May 2017.

The State of Qatar affirms the Qatari Emiri Air Force’s adherence to the highest standards of aviation safety and its firm position to ensure the safety of civilians.

casablanca 16th Jan 2018 01:47

This wouldn’t be the first fake news I’ve seen from there....saw earlier this summer that Qatar /Turkish military were suppressing protesters with water cannons...like WTF?
Absolutely untrue. So since then hard to believe anything they say.

Confirmative 16th Jan 2018 04:29

Qatar have been into fake news for years. One just has to think back to the 90s when Qatar took Bahrain to the International Court over a territorial dispute.
Qatar backed up their claims with 82 FAKED documents which they later withdrew when their authenticity was challenged. All of this is documented in ICJ proceedings.
In all, I would take everything coming from Qatar & Al Jazeera with a heavy does of salt.

TwoHeadedTroll 16th Jan 2018 06:41

Unless there is a statement from a Western pilot or hundreds of passengers, we should assume the whole thing is totally fictitious. It should be easily available on Flight Tracker if it had really happened. The lack of any such information is more or less proof it comes from the rear end of a bull.

TwoHeadedTroll 16th Jan 2018 06:47


Originally Posted by White Knight (Post 10020257)
Maybe edit the title of the thread then?

"Spokespeople for Etihad and Flydubai and Air Arabia said their aircraft were not involved in the incident".

- ergo it would be EK if it had actually happened. But... no crew, no passengers, no flight code: no correlation with reality.

motojet 16th Jan 2018 07:59

I find it hard to believe that in this day and age of social media and instantly uploadable videos, that nothing from the pax has appeared on Facebook or Youtube. I call bu##$&it.

BewareOfTheSharklets 16th Jan 2018 08:57


Originally Posted by Jack330 (Post 10020683)
It looks like another excuse since the blockade didn’t go as planned and qatar is moving on anyways, even with some extra difficulties....

That's certainly the impression that I'm getting. Qatar is surviving the blockade rather well, other than the run on the supermarkets in the hours after it was announced.

The amount of evidence of an actual intercept seems rather.... thin.

Jack330 16th Jan 2018 08:57

Don’t forget that, even if they have substantial differences, they’re from the same breed !! It’s in the arabs nature to simulate things, to show they’re always right and so on..
Also, Qatar Airways became a real 5 star airline, way better than emirates Saudia and ethiad, you can’t even compare ( on safety as well ) and I think this is burning the others inside..
A small state with so much success... The blockade is having the opposite effect.

Airbubba 16th Jan 2018 10:07


Originally Posted by Bonway (Post 10021155)
I've searched high and low on all the available facilities. There is absolutely no evidence of any airborne interceptions in the region within the timeframe given. This can only be yet another bulls:mad:t story from the UAE Ministry of Fiction and Fantasy.

What evidence were you looking for and where? I don't think there are any online ATC feeds to review and the flight trackers wouldn't indicate an intercept if the military planes didn't show and the airliners stayed on course.

EK837 appears to be descending into Bahrain on P699 before breaking off for vectors prior to SOGAT at about 0633Z. They do appear to be close to 12 miles from the Qatar coast before turning away.

GF501, also DXB-BAH, seems to be on a different set of rules, it passes near the Qatari coast for a landing on runway 30 at BAH.


Originally Posted by motojet (Post 10021154)
I find it hard to believe that in this day and age of social media and instantly uploadable videos, that nothing from the pax has appeared on Facebook or Youtube. I call bu##$&it.

According to a GCAA media release, there were witnesses:


ABU DHABI, 15th January, 2018 (WAM) -- The UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority, GCAA, said that on Monday Qatar's military aircraft intercepted two civilian UAE planes carrying a total of 277 passengers while preparing to land in Manama International Airport.

The GCAA added that both flights were in regular pre-scheduled services and they followed all standard procedures, including obtaining of necessary permissions to fly.

"The Qatari fighter jets intercepted the first plane at 10:30, while the second was intercepted at 11:05 while flying at 9,000 to 10,000 feet altitude in regular flights approved by the International Civil Aviation Organisation, ICAO," said Saif Al Suwaidi, Director-General of the GCAA.

He added that Bahraini radars detected the Qatari jets as they intercepted the UAE civilian flights.

"Moreover, the crews and passengers saw the incidents with their naked eyes, which proves that the interception posed a present and clear threat to the lives of innocent civilians," he informed.
From the times given, the intercepted flights would probably be EK837 and EY371 (aka ETD23B). CX745 DXB-BAH follows a few minutes later on a similar track as the UAE flights but presumably doesn't get intercepted.

I agree that it would be odd that an airliner intercept in daylight wouldn't quickly make it to Facebook and YouTube even if the pilots were afraid to comment publically about the alleged incidents.

Airbubba 16th Jan 2018 12:04


Originally Posted by Bonway (Post 10021300)
I can look where you can't. There were NO interceptions!

And lemme guess, you can't say where you get your mysterious secret powers to see these things, right? :D

what_goes_up 16th Jan 2018 14:28


Originally Posted by Bonway (Post 10021462)
Actually, I can. Radar tapes. There was no military interception in that area at the times claimed. Not only that, but no aircraft fit for the job were airborne in the area at the time either. This is once again standard UAE bulls:mad:t. Let's wait for it and see what the reason was for making these false allegations. I'm sure time will tell just as it did with the Saudi allegations of Scud missiles being shot at Riyadh.

Dude. As if you had access to any radar tape... :8:8 If at all it would be secondary radar and during an intercept the fighters would have been under "due regard" with secondary switched off. I haven't been there and don't know what happened there... but neither do you...

Airbubba 16th Jan 2018 15:01

Another alleged report of the intercept with a claim of confirming radar video from the Associated Press:


Bahrain said on Tuesday that radar tracks showed Qatari fighter jets passing by Emirati commercial airliners on their way to the island nation, encounters which started a new dispute between the Gulf nations amid the diplomatic crisis gripping Doha.

The two alleged fly-bys on Monday morning could further escalate tensions between Qatar and the four Arab nations that have been boycotting it for months, among them the UAE, home to the world's busiest international airport. They also could affect long-haul airline travel, as the region's carriers are a crucial link between the East and West.

Emirati officials on Monday described the fly-bys as though the fighter jets "intercepted" their civilian aircraft. Qatari officials deny their jets intercepted the aircraft and on Tuesday dismissed the footage as "unauthenticated videos."

Bahrain state television aired radar footage the broadcaster described as showing Emirates flight No. EK837 from Dubai flying toward Bahrain International Airport at 3,170 meters (10,400 feet). Two other radar signals the broadcaster described as Qatari fighter jets flew at around 2,590 meters (8,500 feet) in front of the Emirates flight. The radar screen briefly flashes orange text, likely a collision warning.

It wasn't clear from the footage at what distance the fighter jets allegedly passed the Emirates flight, but Bahrain previously described the distance as being 3.2 kilometers (2 miles).

The broadcaster also aired footage of an aeronautical chart it said showed a Qatari fighter jet flying across the flight path of a just-passed Etihad airliner, both at 24,000 meters (8,000 feet). It identified the flight as ETD23B, which corresponds to Flight No. EY371, a direct Abu Dhabi-Bahrain flight that took off Monday morning.

Both Dubai-based Emirates and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad have declined to comment. Both flights flew in international waters just north of the tip of Qatar, a peninsular nation that juts into the Arabian Gulf, before landing in nearby Bahrain.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/region/...ing-uae-planes

TwoHeadedTroll 16th Jan 2018 16:29

Asked some Emirates people...
 
... and there is no gossip about it inside the company.
Total nonsense. An event like this would make a big splash on verifiable sources. The absence of any evidence is proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

fatbus 16th Jan 2018 16:45

The daily mail is carring it .

Confirmative 16th Jan 2018 17:04

The Bahrain radar tapes have been released showing one of the interceptions. A quick search of the net will show it despite many posting that they have insider info denying the fact.

Airbubba 16th Jan 2018 17:07


Originally Posted by TwoHeadedTroll (Post 10021631)
Asked some Emirates people...

... and there is no gossip about it inside the company.

And we all know how the denizens of Worker's Paradise are encouraged to freely share their views on UAE lies and corruption, right?


Originally Posted by TwoHeadedTroll (Post 10021631)
Total nonsense. An event like this would make a big splash on verifiable sources. The absence of any evidence is proof beyond a reasonable doubt.

Somehow I don't find your argument convincing. ;)

Did the Qataris pass a couple of thousand feet below EK837 outbound from Doha, show up on BAH radar unannounced and cause an alert on ATC radar and perhaps a TCAS RA? And a few minutes later pass behind EY371? Were these the 'intercepts'?

Or, were there never any Qatari jets in the area at all as some claim?

Maybe someone with secret access to 'the tapes' can tell us the details. :confused:

break dancer 16th Jan 2018 17:08

It’s all over EK wives so it must be true

Airbubba 16th Jan 2018 17:49


Originally Posted by Confirmative (Post 10021664)
The Bahrain radar tapes have been released showing one of the interceptions. A quick search of the net will show it despite many posting that they have insider info denying the fact.

Here's one of the video clips of the Bahrain ATC tapes:

VIDEO: Radar footage shows Qatar jets intercepting UAE flights - Al Arabiya English

richard III 18th Jan 2018 03:46

Qatar is maintaining as low profile as possible not to provoke anyone, there's nothing to prove this happened so I guess innocent until proven otherwise, right? With all the electronics run by the Americans in Al Udeid Base I doubt there's a millimetre of sky that's not closely monitored by them. Let's leave it to a, shall we say, more uninterested party to confirm this. Been reading these newspapers to long to even believe the Cinema timings on them.

KingAir1978 18th Jan 2018 11:06


Originally Posted by Airbubba (Post 10021698)
Here's one of the video clips of the Bahrain ATC tapes:

VIDEO: Radar footage shows Qatar jets intercepting UAE flights - Al Arabiya English

I'm a layman when it comes to intercepts, but in the video I do not see any sign of an intercept. I always believed that the distance between airplanes would be MUCH smaller. I.e. the captain of the intercepted aircraft can see the fillings in the teeth of the military jet pilot. The other fighter should be behind the intercepted plane to uhmmm... do the needful, if the intercepted plane deviates from its course. Also, right at the point that it starts to become interesting, the video cuts out. I call BS...


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