Qatar Airways to sue Saudi-led quartet over ' illegal' blockade

Qatar Airways says it will seek compensation for losses caused by an "illegal airspace blockade," which Saudi Arabia and some of its regional allies imposed on Doha three years ago.

"Qatar Airways will pursue its case for appropriate compensation of the financial injuries inflicted on Qatar Airways as a result of the illegal airspace blockade," the Doha-based carrier  said in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement came a day after the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN's highest judicial body, ruled that Qatar could challenge airspace restrictions imposed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Egypt in 2017.

Qatar wins ICJ case against Saudi Arabia-led states

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) backs Qatar in a dispute with four regional states that imposed a blockade against the country.

"The arbitrary and abusive measures that these four states have taken against us have devastated our carefully planned, decades-long program for investment and growth in those countries. They have arbitrarily prevented us from serving hundreds of thousands of passengers, and transporting tens of thousands of tons of cargo to and from each of these countries annually," said the statement.

On Tuesday, the ICJ backed Qatar in the bitter dispute over the air blockade, rejecting the appeal by the four countries against a decision by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in favor of Doha over sovereign airspace.

The Hague-based court said that it had decided that the UN aviation body “has jurisdiction” in the case by 15 judges to one.

The ICAO in 2018 ruled it had jurisdiction to handle a dispute brought by Qatar, which accused its neighbors of violating a convention that regulates the free passage of its passenger planes through foreign airspace.

However, the quartet disagreed, saying the ICAO was not the right body to judge in the dispute and its decision to do so was "manifestly flawed and in violation of fundamental principles of due process and the right to be heard".

The Riyadh-led group had asked the ICJ to declare the aviation body's ruling "null and void and without effect."

Doha welcomed Tuesday's ruling, saying it would lead the blockading countries to "face justice" for violating international aviation rules.

Qatar Airways will continue flights to Iran, unfazed by US sanctions

Qatar Airways Group says it will continue flights to Iran despite the US sanctions against the Islamic Republic.

The Saudi-led quartet severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar on June 5, 2017, accusing Doha of meddling in regional affairs and supporting “terrorism.”

Qatar has rejected the allegations and said it was targeted because it followed an independent foreign policy.

The four countries also banned all Qatari planes from their airspaces.

Qatar Airways has rerouted many of its flights through the Iranian airspace since the blockade in 2017.

Tehran is reportedly paid about $133 million a year by Doha for use of its airspace by flights arriving and depart

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