Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates are seeking to move a hearing on the blockade they imposed on Qatar in June 2017 from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Bloomberg has reported.

The four states have argued that the ICAO is a technical United Nations body and does not have the competence to consider the dispute.

Qatar has previously filed a case with the ICAO and the organisation has agreed to hold a hearing, although it is unclear if it has any authority to order the end of the blockade.

In June 2017, the four Arab states cut their diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting Iran. They simultaneously closed their respective airspaces for Qatari-registered aircraft, causing significant disruption for Qatar Airways. The Qatari flag carrier was forced to terminate nearly one-fifth of its network overnight and adopt longer routes for many other flights.

Short of posting specific figures, Qatar Airways has already admitted it recorded a "substantial annual loss" in Financial Year 2017 due to the effects of the blockade. It has recently said it may turn to the state for additional funding in order to continue operations if the blockade persists.

Qatar denies the charges levied on it by the Saudi-led block and has challenged the legality of the blockade, including at the ICAO level on the grounds of the Chicago Convention. The organisation has previously worked on facilitating alternative routes for Qatari-registered aircraft.