UAE refuses Canadian Minister of Defence passage through their airspace

[OogalaBoogal]

Ban stems from dispute over landing rights for sheikdom's national airlines in Canada

BY MATTHEW FISHER, POSTMEDIA NEWS OCTOBER 12, 2010 1:09 AM

Souring diplomatic relations between Canada and the United Arab Emirates on Monday forced a military flight carrying Canada's top defence brass on a six-hour detour to Rome.

A quarrel over landing rights in Canada for the UAE's two national carriers and the use of a logistics base in Dubai that supports Canadian combat operations in landlocked Afghanistan escalated sharply when a C-17 jumbo transport carrying Defence Minister Peter MacKay, General Walter Natynczyk and Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn was denied the right to land and ordered to stay clear of UAE airspace.

According to a senior military source, the $250-million transport, which left Kandahar at dusk on Monday, was diverted to Europe, where it was expected to land in Rome late Monday or early today.

"No explanation for the refusal to land was given." the senior officer said.

Before leaving Kandahar on Monday, MacKay gave no indication his flight was not to be allowed to land in Dubai. However, he acknowledged that relations between the two countries had been "frosty" when he passed through the sheikdom on his way to Afghanistan on Thursday.

"We will abide by the wishes of the Emirates, and that is that. We will be leaving the base," MacKay said at the end of his three-day trip to Kabul and Kandahar, referring to the not-so-secret Camp Mirage, used as a staging ground for the Canadian Forces mission in Afghanistan.

Nevertheless, MacKay appeared to extend an olive branch to the UAE before boarding his aircraft.

"We are very grateful for what the United Arab Emirates has allowed us to do in their country," MacKay said. "They have been very supportive of the Canadian mission writ large, and for that we thank them."

The increasingly acrimonious dispute pits the world's second largest country against a tiny, but immensely wealthy Gulf sheikdom whose ambition is to create two of the world's largest airlines. The argument arose when the UAE requested that Canada allow more flights by Dubai-based Emirates Airlines and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways.

The UAE argued that the market between the two countries, which currently amounts to six flights a week flown by Emirates and Etihad, was under-served. Both Arab carriers already have large, modern jet fleets and hundreds more wide-body aircraft on order. They are seeking to fill those airplanes by securing landing rights around the world.

Caught in the crossfire has been the Canadian military, which has, for seven years, depended on Camp Mirage to move sensitive cargo and passengers to and from Afghanistan, as is it considered too dangerous to shuttle essential cargo and soldiers through Pakistan. The base includes maintenance facilities for the C-130J Hercules aircraft that are the workhorses of Canada's Afghanistan air bridge, as well as sleeping areas, a Canadian-run cafeteria and a ball-hockey rink.

Camp Mirage was also expected to be a critical logistics hub as Canada's mission in Kandahar winds down next summer.

"One thing I know about the Canadian Forces is they are very adaptable," MacKay said. "They have alternatives and contingency plans. With that in mind, we are going through the various options before us right now. We will continue to do our mission primarily, and we will find ways to support this mission through other hubs."

© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun

So basically we can't have a military base there, or fly any politicians through there , because they can't have flights that we don't need. Nice UAE, Nice.

[ironman17]

Man, why d'you think Arabia's doing this? Are they paranoid that Canada's gonna bomb them or something? Why'd they do that?

[Gprimeisback]

[QUOTE=ironman17;25357352]Man, why d'you think Arabia's doing this? Are they paranoid that Canada's gonna bomb them or something? Why'd they do that?[/QUOTE]

Canada is known for blowing up random things