By Victor Kanayo
Fans who were expected to be brought into Qatar ahead of Wednesday’s semi-final will have to remain where they are after Morocco’s national airline said it was cancelling all flights it had scheduled.
The airline management in a statement said the decision was due to a decision by Qatari authorities.
The statement said, “Following the latest restrictions imposed by the Qatari authorities, Royal Air Maroc regrets to inform customers of the cancellation of their flights operated by Qatar Airways.”
The Qatari government’s international media office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Royal Air Maroc (RAM) had previously said it would lay on 30 additional flights to help fans get to Qatar for Wednesday night’s semi-final game against France, but on Tuesday, a source at a RAM travel agency said only 14 flights had been scheduled.
The cancellation of Wednesday’s seven scheduled flights means RAM was only able to fly the seven flights on Tuesday, leaving fans who had already booked match tickets or hotel rooms unable to travel.
RAM said it would reimburse air tickets and apologised to customers.
The RAM spokesperson did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment. Qatar Airways did not immediately respond to Reuters request for comment.
