Dubai: Moroccan airline Royal Air Maroc cancelled flights via Doha to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Egypt after they severed diplomatic ties with Qatar, state news agency MAP and the airline’s customer service said on Tuesday.
MAP said Royal Air Maroc flights via Doha to those countries could not be guaranteed, and the airline’s customer service said flights would no longer be available.
“Royal Air Maroc apologises to its clients for these inconveniences caused by a situation outside of its control,” it said in a statement.
In 2015, Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc announced a joint business agreement on services and expanded direct flights between the countries.
Meanwhile, Qatari nationals were also banned from boarding Qantas flights to Dubai. Several Middle Eastern countries, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE, cut ties with the tiny Gulf state on Monday.
Qatari nationals will now not be allowed to pass through airports in the UAE even to change planes.
“The UAE has banned Qatari nationals from transiting through UAE, so we’re looking to see if that affects any passengers,” Qantas Airways Ltd International chief executive Gareth Evans said.
“If it does, we will offer them (route) alternatives,” he told reporters on the sidelines of an airline industry meeting in Mexico.
A visa check tool on the Emirates website provided by the International Air Transport Association said a Qatari passport holder would be refused transit in Dubai.
Foreigners living in Qatar with residence visas will no longer be eligible for visas on arrival into the UAE, a spokesman for Etihad Airways said.
Qatari nationals will now not be allowed to pass through airports in the UAE even to change planes.
“This ruling applies to all airlines flying into the UAE, including Etihad Airways,” the Abu Dhabi-based airline said.
OPSGROUP, an industry flight operations service, said it had advised airlines of a series of restrictions on Qatari nationals, including a ban on transit through the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Qatar Airways has cancelled all of its flights to those countries, which had averaged 55 a day before the diplomatic dispute, according to analysis published by CAPA Centre for Aviation. The airline’s website says it has offered refunds or rebooking to affected passengers.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE had been Qatar Airways’ largest markets by the number of available seats and the loss of the four Arab markets could lead to a double-digit revenue decline for the carrier, CAPA said.
“A more long-term effect will be that passengers will shy away from booking with Qatar Airways,” Leeham Co analyst Bjorn Ferhm said in a note published on Wednesday.
“This is the strongest accusation to date of Qatar being connected with terrorism. Many travellers and corporate accounts could blacklist Qatar Airways.” Qatar Airways did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Indonesia on Wednesday said it had diverted Muslim pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to other airlines. An Islamic Religious Council of Singapore spokesman said alternative flights to Saudi Arabia were being sought, with less than 200 people affected.
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain revoked the licences of Qatar Airways on Tuesday and ordered its offices to be closed within 48 hours.
The transit restrictions follow from the cutting of all transport links with Qatar as part of the coordinated action.
The rift has affected global oil prices, hit travel plans and sowed confusion among businesses.
