Egypt Opens Airspace to Qatari Flights

Egypt, following Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, is now permitting Qatari airlines to fly in its territorial airspace, Egyptian media are reporting. In the wake of last week’s Gulf Cooperation Council conference in which agreements were reached to end the nearly four-year blockade, the countries are taking steps to remove the economic and diplomatic barriers with Doha that were enacted in 2017 over claims that Qatar supported terrorism and was too influenced by close ties to Iran. Qatar has always denied these claims. On Saturday, the land border between Saudi Arabia and Qatar also opened. Flights between Doha and the UAE are expected to begin shortly.