The country has been accused of supporting Islamist militant groups by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.Qatar relies on other Gulf states for about 20 percent of its imports and almost half of its tourists. Billions of dollars of infrastructure projects are also at stake as it prepares to host the 2022 soccer World Cup.
How the crisis could impact transport in the region:
Gulf Air and Singapore Airlines Ltd, which compete with Qatar Airways on its top routes, are the main carriers that stand to benefit.
Other airlines on these routes such as Kuwait Airways, Saudia and Air France-KLM are also likely to see increased demand.
Omani and Iranian ports could stand to benefit, Existing container trade to Qatar mostly goes through the U.A.E. and Saudi Arabia.
The alternative could be operating feeder vessels from hub ports in countries that aren’t part of the boycott. Kuwaiti ports are also an option but would result in a big diversion.
State-owned Qatar Airways is set to be one of the biggest losers of the crisis.
(izvor:skift.com)
