Saudi Arabia revokes Qatar Airways' licenses

Saudi Arabia Tuesday revoked the licenses of Qatar Airways and ordered its offices to be closed within 48 hours, a day after banning all Qatari planes from landing at its airports. The Saudi government's move follows coordinated action on Monday by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to cut links with Qatar, accusing the country of supporting terrorism. Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) also said in a statement any licenses granted to Qatar Airways employees would also be withdrawn. Analysts said the fallout from canceled flights resulting from Saudi Arabia's action would cost Qatar Airways millions of dollars in lost revenue. "The revoking of the license suggests that this spat will be a long and drawn out. You don't revoke licenses if you expect a resolution quickly," Saj Ahmad, the UK-based chief analyst at StrategicAero Research, said. "The real challenge is what Qatar can do to mitigate [the losses], and right now, it doesn't look like it is in a position to do anything." Saudi Arabia's aviation authority said customers seeking adjustments on tickets to or from Qatar should communicate with the company by phone or through its website. <br/>