Flights To Qatar Operate Normally

JAKARTA, June 7 (Antara) - The Transportation Ministry has said that all flights en route to Qatar continue to operate normally despite several Arab nations, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Egypt, cutting their diplomatic ties with the country. "The policy has a least impact to our flights operation," the Ministry's Aviation Director Maria Kristi Endah Murni informed Antara here on Tuesday. She added that Qatar government has continued to maintain its relation with Indonesia, which is dubbed as one of the potential tourist destinations. "Flights en route to Indonesia will not be affected by the Arab nations' measures," Murni reiterated, while adding that the government was assuring the safety of Indonesian pilgrims who previously were scheduled to transit to Qatar's capital city Doha. The ministry will try to transfer around 65 Indonesian minor hajj (umroh) pilgrims to other flights such as Saudi Airlines and Garuda Indonesia. About 20 pilgrims have moved with the former airlines and 45 others have been transferred to the latter, she noted. "We will continue overseeing the situation in Qatar," she further remarked. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways Marketing Coordinator Laila Nurlaila Purnamasari stated that the travel ban to the Arab nations will not affect Indonesian flights. She mentioned that the airlines will increase its flight frequency to Indonesia in July 2017, following a cooperation set with the country's Tourism Ministry. Earlier on Monday, the Arab Nations announced that they would halt diplomatic relations as well as close their land, water, and air areas with Qatar, after it was accused of supporting some terrorist groups, including IS and Al-Qaeda. However, Qatar's foreign affairs ministry stated that the Arab nations' measures were based on false claims. "The state of Qatar has been subjected to a campaign of lies that have reached the point of complete fabrication. It reveals a hidden plan to undermine the state of Qatar," the ministry stated as quoted from the Guardian.