Akbar al-Baker criticised Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain for closing their airspace to Qatari flights a week ago.
He appealed to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a UN agency administering the Chicago convention that guarantees civil overflights. "We have legal channels to object to this," he said. "ICAO... should heavily get involved, put their weight behind this to declare this an illegal act," he said.
The UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have signed the convention.
Al-Baker said 18 destinations were now out of bounds for the airline.
He also criticised Saudi Arabia and the UAE for shutting down the airline's offices.
"It is actually a travesty of civilised behaviour to close airline offices. Airlines offices are not political arms," he said. "We were sealed as if it was a criminal organisation. We were not allowed to give refunds to our passengers."
He added that he was "extremely disappointed" in US President Donald Trump. "(The US) should be the leader trying to break this blockade and not sitting and watching what's going on," he said.
In a separate interview with the Wall Street Journal, al-Baker said he would not delay any plane orders or put expansion plans in other countries, such as India, on hold.
On Sunday, Qatar Airways reported a 21.7% in net profit in its last financial year that ended in March, fuelled by a strategy of investment and expansion. - Reuters
'QA routes still affected by blockade'
The Qatar Civil Aviation Authority (QCAA) has clarified that Qatar Airways routes are still affected by the blockade Qatar is facing. In a statement, the QCAA said they “would like to address the information that has been circulating on social media networks concerning air routes and geographical maps. The information is false and should be dismissed by the public.” The routes shown on the social media network are “those of the high seas, which are guaranteed internationally for all,” the statement added.
