Turkey Creates Obstacles for Humanitarian Cargo Bound for Armenia

The scheduled humanitarian flight from Los Angeles to Armenia by Qatar Airways on October 15 will not take place, with no substantial reason provided by the airline. According to the Civil Aviation Committee, the humanitarian cargo was sent by the Armenian-American community for the benefit of civilians affected by the Artsakh-Azerbaijan conflict.

Qatar Airways informed the Armenian civil aviation committee about the cancellation of the flight on October 14. The aircraft was to pass through Turkish airspace; however, Turkey is reportedly imposing obstacles for humanitarian cargo intended for Armenia.

"Organizing a new flight path through other countries, such as the Russian Federation or Georgia, is a matter of hours, so the airline is obligated to find alternative routes for transporting the humanitarian cargo. Reliable sources currently suggest that Qatar Airways will not be able to transport this cargo. We also have grounds to assert that Turkey has deliberately closed the air route. This is not the first time Turkey has hindered cargo transport to Armenia. Even before the war, the country began to create obstacles by demanding a detailed list of the cargo from airlines wishing to pass through its airspace. While the provision of airspace is a sovereign right of each country, according to international practices, such information is only required concerning dangerous cargo for accurate responses in emergency situations (Chicago Convention, Article 5). Moreover, this cargo had already passed the inspection phase,” stated Tatevik Revazyan, head of the Armenian Civil Aviation Administration.

In response to the incident, the Armenian Civil Aviation Committee has reached out to the European organization for air navigation safety, EUROCONTROL. In recent days, multiple cargo transports have occurred to Armenia from the USA, France, and Russia. Cargo transport is mainly carried out in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Committee and Armenian air carriers. The airlines are doing this on a non-commercial basis (without profit).