Air travel across the Gulf region and beyond faces major disruption following the move by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain to sever ties with Qatar, accusing the tiny oil rich state of supporting terrorism.

Egypt will begin its ban on flights to and from Qatar on Tuesday at 6 am local time (0400 GMT), the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Monday following a severing of diplomatic ties announced earlier.

The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have stopped exports of white sugar to Qatar after the two states broke off relations with Doha, in the first sign that the diplomatic crisis is hitting food trade, trade sources said on Monday.

UAE's port of Fujairah issued a notice on Monday barring all vessels carrying Qatari flags and any destined for or arriving from Qatari ports following a Gulf diplomatic dispute with Doha, trading sources said.

Egypt has given the Qatari ambassador in Cairo 48 hours to leave the country and has recalled its senior representative in Doha, the foreign ministry said on Monday.

Arab nations including Saudi Arabia and Egypt on Monday, June 5, cut ties with Qatar accusing it of supporting extremism, in the biggest diplomatic crisis to hit the region in years.

Qatar on Monday asked citizens to leave the United Arab Emirates within 14 days to comply with a decision by Abu Dhabi to sever ties with Doha, the Qatari embassy in Abu Dhabi said on social media.

Air Arabia said on Monday it had suspended flights between Sharjah and Doha effective Tuesday until further notice.

Pakistan has no immediate plans to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar, a spokesman for the South Asian nation's foreign ministry said on Monday.

A natural gas pipeline from Qatar to the United Arab Emirates and Oman was operating normally on Monday despite a Gulf political dispute with Doha, two industry sources said.

Abu Dhabi's state-owned Etihad Airways said it will suspend all flights to and from Doha from Tuesday morning until further notice.

Saudi Arabia and key allies on Monday cut ties with Qatar, the world's top seller of liquefied natural gas (LNG), accusing it of supporting extremism and sending shockwaves through the energy industry.

Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said on Monday it has banned all Qatari planes from landing in the kingdom's airports, following the worst rift in years among the Gulf countries.

Riyadh-based Al Ahli Saudi Football Club has terminated its sponsorship deal with Qatar Airways, just hours after the kingdom announced it was severing ties with Doha.

The cost of insuring exposure to Qatari sovereign debt rose to the highest level in two months on Monday after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed ties with Doha, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

It is in Russia's interest to have a "stable and peaceful" situation in the Gulf, the Kremlin said on Monday, commenting on the decision by a number of Arab nations to sever diplomatic relations with Qatar.

Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday he was saddened by a rift between Qatar and other Arab states, and called for dialogue to resolve the dispute.

Yemen's internationally recognized government cut ties with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of working with its enemies in the Iran-aligned Houthi movement, state news agency Saba reported.

Libya's eastern-based government has followed regional allies in cutting diplomatic ties with Qatar, its foreign minister, Mohamed Dayri, said on Monday.

Qatar Airways said on its official website on Monday that it had suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia.