Egypt Ends Ban on Flights to and from Qatar after Row Ends

The lifting of the ban allows EgyptAir, Qatar Airways and other Qatari airlines to resume flights between the two countries.

Source dpa, Berlin (TNS)

Jan. 12, 2021

Jan. 12—CAIRO — Egypt on Tuesday ended a ban on flights to and from Qatar, an official said, after a Saudi-led bloc ended a blockade of Doha.

The lifting of the ban allows EgyptAir, Qatar Airways and other Qatari airlines to resume flights between the two countries, the head of the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority Ashraf Noweir was quoted as saying by state-run Ahram newspaper online.

The authority also allowed Qatari planes to use Egypt's airspace at dawn on Tuesday.

An official source confirmed the report to dpa.

Last week, three Gulf countries — Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates ( UAE) and Bahrain — as well as Egypt signed a declaration with Qatar ending a rift that lasted for three and a half years.

In June 2017, the quartet severed diplomatic, trade and travel ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting Islamist militant groups, an accusation that Doha denies.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have all announced the reopening of their airspace to Qatar.

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