Iraqi family barred from flying to US from Cairo

CAIRO, Egypt — An Iraqi family was barred from flying from Cairo to New York Saturday after US President Donald Trump signed an order restricting arrivals from seven Muslim countries, airport officials said.

The husband, wife and two children, who had American visas and reserved seats on an EgyptAir flight, were informed that they could not board because of the new regulation, the officials said.

Trump on Friday signed a sweeping executive order to suspend refugee arrivals and impose tough controls on travelers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

EgyptAir representatives did not immediately respond to phone calls, and the airline’s website did not provide updated travel advice for the United States.

In this Jan. 15, 2015 file photo, the new Airbus A 350 of Qatar Airways coming from Doha, Qatar, approaches the gate at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany. (AP/Michael Probst-file)

Qatar Airways, one of the largest Middle East airlines, said on its website that citizens of those seven countries could still travel to the United States if they had a permanent residence permit.

The travel alert said government officials and their immediate family and international organization representatives were exempt from the restrictions.