Bahrain, UAE open up airspace for Qatar Airways

MONTREAL (AP) — The world aviation agency says Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to open up some of their airspace to Qatar's state-owned airline after it was hit with flight restrictions earlier this summer in a diplomatic dispute.

A spokesman for the Montreal-based International Civil Aviation Organization said Tuesday that the flight corridors include existing as well as new "temporary or contingency" routes for Qatar Airways.

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Spokesman Anthony Philbin says that since June 5, the aviation organization has been working with various countries in the Middle East to work out access to airspace for Qatar-registered aircraft.

Bahrain, the UAE, Egypt and Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties and transport links with Qatar, a move that initially stranded passengers and resulted in a drop in fares for Qatar Airways.