Qatar Airways allows Trump 'Muslim ban' travellers to fly

Arabian Gulf carrier Qatar Airways will allow passengers barred from the United States by President Donald Trump’s executive order last week to resume boarding US-bound flights after a federal judge blocked the move, an airline spokeswoman said today.

US Customs & Border Protection (CBP) has advised Qatar Airways it can board travellers from seven Muslim-majority countries and all refugees who had been banned under the order, according to a statement on the airline’s website.

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A spokeswoman confirmed the airline would start accepting all passengers with valid travel documents.

Trump on 27 January suspended the entry of nationals from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and all refugees.

The ban caught the airline industry off guard, with some carriers forced to re-roster flight crew in order to abide by the order.

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The judge’s temporary restraining order represents a major challenge to Trump’s action, although his administration could still appeal the ruling and have the policy upheld.