Cairo - Some 52 Hongkongers were stranded in Egypt due to flight suspensions after several Middle Eastern countries and their allies cut diplomatic ties with Qatar. Qatar Airways said it has suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt until further notice. The airline said travelers can ask for a refund or free re-bookings to an alternative destination within its network. The crisis has affected three SAR tours in Egypt, including a 22-member group organized by Hong Thai Travel Services. The other two are a 16-member tour by Miramar Travel, and a third group on which the Travel Industry Council does not have information. The groups are scheduled to fly back to Hong Kong with Qatar Airways from today. Hong Thai said its tour group in Egypt will return to Hong Kong on Saturday. As arranged by Qatar Airways, tour members will take a Royal Jordanian Airlines flight to Cairo, transfer in Jordan, and fly back to Hong Kong. The agency said the impact of the flight suspensions is "small," and it has no other tour in Egypt. Tourism sector lawmaker Yiu Si- wing said people usually transfer at Doha when flying to other Middle Eastern countries and to Europe, but he thinks the suspension would not greatly affect Hong Kong travelers as they have other alternatives. "Those Middle Eastern countries are not popular tourism destinations for Hongkongers. Qatar Airways planes are new and their flight tickets are cheaper, that's why many choose to fly with them," he said. "But they can choose to fly to the Middle East with other airlines, like Royal Jordanian Airlines and Emirates."
