Qatar Airways chief says Gulf states ‘bullying’ will hit profits

Qatar Airways' outspoken boss, Akbar Al-Baker on

Thursday called the four Arab nations (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab

Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt) "bullies", adding that the airline's

profits would take a hit over the dispute.

Though he

insisted Qatar could sustain the impact of what he called a "blockade",

he conceded that his airline would have to cope with additional costs

to operate in and out of the country.

On June 5, the

four Arab nations imposed a blockade on Qatar. One of the sanctions was

the closure of their airspace to Qatar Airways.