Morocco’s national carrier says seven
flights that were meant to take soccer fans to Qatar for Morocco’s historic
World Cup semifinal on Wednesday against France have been canceled because of
restrictions by Qatari authorities.Moroccan fans heading to Qatar to support their team queue up in Casablanca airport after their flights were cancelled, in Casablanca, Morocco, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022. (AP Photo)
Royal Air Maroc, or RAM, earlier this week
announced it would organize 30 flights between Casablanca and Doha on Tuesday
and Wednesday for fans eager to attend the game. The one-of-a-kind deal would
be on sale for 5,000 dirhams ($475) round trip.
However, seven of those flights, operated
by Qatar Airways, were cancelled, the airline said in a statement Wednesday to
the official Moroccan news agency MAP.
“Following the recent restrictions imposed
by the Qatari authorities, Royal Air Maroc regrets to inform its customers of
the cancellation of flights provided by Qatar Airways,” it said. “Royal Air
Maroc offers its apologies to customers for this inconvenience beyond its
control.”
It didn’t specify what restrictions Qatar
had imposed.
The Qatari government’s and Doha’s media
offices did not immediately respond to requests for details.
Hafsa Mostafid said she had booked a flight
to Doha late Tuesday but was turned away at Casablanca airport.
“I could hear commotion coming from those
who were willing to go to Qatar but were not allowed to enter the airport,” she
said. “I also saw that there were police there to control the situation.”
She said officials at the aiport told
travelers that due to the “sheer number of Moroccans currently trapped at the
Doha airport without tickets for the match, no planes from Morocco would be
flown to Qatar as per directives from the Qatari authorities.”
Morocco is the first African and Arab
nation to make it to the semifinals in World Cup history.
On Tuesday, hundreds of Morocco fans already in Qatar lined up for hours outside a stadium hoping to receive free game tickets handed out by the Moroccan soccer federation in coordination with FIFA and the Qatari organizing committee. -AP
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