US attempts to re-open airspace for Qatar met with Saudi resistance

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U.S. Push to Pry Open Gulf Airspace for Qatar Hits Resistance

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies are resisting a U.S. push to open their airspace to Qatar and end the natural-gas powerhouse’s heavy reliance on Iran’s skies, according to officials familiar with the contacts.

www.bloomberg.com

Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies are resisting a U.S. push to open their airspace to Qatar and end the natural-gas powerhouse’s heavy reliance on Iran’s skies, according to officials familiar with the contacts.

They figure they stand a better chance of extracting bigger concessions from Qatar, which they’ve been boycotting for nearly three years, the closer it gets to hosting the 2022 World Cup soccer tournament, according to one official familiar with the matter. Like three others, the official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss confidential conversations.

There's always got to be an angle, it's a shame really as it means I have to rely on direct BA services to some of those countries rather than flying one-stop on a better airline