#Qatar Airways says return to Syrian airspace part of overcoming Gulf boycott - Reuters

Qatar Airways says return to Syrian airspace part of overcoming Gulf boycott - Reuters:

Qatar Airways’ return to flying over Syria as its eight-year war dies down is part of its efforts to grapple with a nearly two-year Gulf dispute that has blocked it from using the airspace of many of its neighbors, CEO Akbar al-Baker said on Saturday.

Syrian transport minister Ali Hammoud said last month that his country had approved a request by Qatar Airways to begin using the country’s airspace for routes, one of the first airlines to do so. Qatar did not comment at the time.

Qatar’s state-owned carrier has had to re-route many of its flights since Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt cut diplomatic, transport and trade ties with the tiny Gulf state in 2017, accusing it of supporting terrorism, which Doha denies.