US NEWS & WORLD REPORT
by Samia Errazzouki
A 787 Dreamliner jet painted in Royal Air Maroc livery, sits idle on the tarmac parking at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, January 17, 2013. REUTERS/Anthony Bolante Reuters
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 apologizes 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.
Morocco has refrained from taking sides in the dispute between Qatar and other Arab states. But some of the Gulf nations are close allies of Morocco, which is a member of the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen against the Iran-allied Shi’ite Houthi militia.
(Reporting by Samia Errazzouki; Writing by Patrick Markey; Editing by Robin Pomeroy and Gareth Jones)
