Turkey closes its air space for aircraft with Armenia-bound humanitarian cargo
15.10.2020,
15:32
A flight by Qatar Airways that was scheduled for October 15 to bring humanitarian aid to Armenia from Los Angeles will not take place, the press service of the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia reported.
YEREVAN, October 15. /ARKA/. A flight by Qatar Airways that was scheduled for October 15 to bring humanitarian aid to Armenia from Los Angeles will not take place, the press service of the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia reported.
The humanitarian cargo was sent by the American-Armenian community for the civilians affected by the war in Artsakh. The plane was supposed to cross Turkish airspace, but Turkey is creating obstacles for the transportation of humanitarian cargo to Armenia.
The head of the Civil Aviation Committee Tatevik Revazyan said that the organization of a new route for a flight through the territory of other countries is a matter of several hours; therefore, the airline must find other ways to transport humanitarian cargo. However, according to her, the information obtained from reliable sources gives reason to believe that Qatar Airways will not be able to bring this cargo.
“We also have reason to assert that Turkey deliberately closed its air space. It is not the first time Turkey has t been hindering cargo transportation to Armenia. That country began to create obstacles even before the war, demanding from airlines a detailed list of cargo when crossing their airspace. Although, the provision of airspace is the sovereign right of each country, according to international practice, data is required on dangerous goods for the correct response in an emergency. The aid from the USA has passed the verification stage," she said.
The Civil Aviation Committee said it has taken this case to the air navigation safety organization EUROCONTROL.
The Committee said that these days, cargo from the USA, France and Russia has been transported to Armenia more than once. Transportation of goods is mainly carried out by Armenian air carriers. The airlines do this on a non-profit basis.
Earlier it was reported that today about 700 tons of humanitarian aid from different countries of the world (Russia, USA, France, Europe, Ukraine and others) were brought to Armenia. -0-
The humanitarian cargo was sent by the American-Armenian community for the civilians affected by the war in Artsakh. The plane was supposed to cross Turkish airspace, but Turkey is creating obstacles for the transportation of humanitarian cargo to Armenia.
The head of the Civil Aviation Committee Tatevik Revazyan said that the organization of a new route for a flight through the territory of other countries is a matter of several hours; therefore, the airline must find other ways to transport humanitarian cargo. However, according to her, the information obtained from reliable sources gives reason to believe that Qatar Airways will not be able to bring this cargo.
“We also have reason to assert that Turkey deliberately closed its air space. It is not the first time Turkey has t been hindering cargo transportation to Armenia. That country began to create obstacles even before the war, demanding from airlines a detailed list of cargo when crossing their airspace. Although, the provision of airspace is the sovereign right of each country, according to international practice, data is required on dangerous goods for the correct response in an emergency. The aid from the USA has passed the verification stage," she said.
The Civil Aviation Committee said it has taken this case to the air navigation safety organization EUROCONTROL.
The Committee said that these days, cargo from the USA, France and Russia has been transported to Armenia more than once. Transportation of goods is mainly carried out by Armenian air carriers. The airlines do this on a non-profit basis.
Earlier it was reported that today about 700 tons of humanitarian aid from different countries of the world (Russia, USA, France, Europe, Ukraine and others) were brought to Armenia. -0-
