Canadians stranded abroad as Omicron COVID variant cancels flights
Global Affairs Canada tells stranded Canadians they're on their own as borders, airports close
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As the latest chapter in the never-ending pandemic unfolds, Canadians are finding themselves stranded abroad as variant-panicked airlines cancel flights.
And those scrambling for ways to get home say their plight isn’t being taken seriously either by Canadian consular officials or Global Affairs Canada.
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Christa MacGregor’s efforts to fly home from Morocco were stymied Tuesday after finding herself inside an empty airport — full of closed kiosks and plenty of unhappy travellers.
“We contacted Ryanair (the night before) and they said our flight was fine,” she told the Sun from Marrakech.
MacGregor arrived in the popular vacation destination last week to catch a few waves along the north African nation’s pristine coastline.
Originally flying home via France, Omicron-related cancellations prompted the pair to instead book passage home via Lisbon, Portugal.
Arriving at Marrakech Menara Airport on Tuesday morning, they were shocked to find all flights cancelled and nobody to help them.
“There’s nobody at the kiosks, nobody to book any tickets,” she said.
Left with few options, the pair have been forced to reside at a hostel — finding no help from dismissive officials at the Canadian embassy in Rabat.
“She didn’t take my name or anything,” MacGregor said.
As Tuesday turned into Wednesday, there’s rumours of a rescue flight out of Casablanca later this week — organized by the Moroccan government and national airline Royal Air Maroc.
MacGregor is no stranger to travelling, or rescue missions.
An employee of a major Canadian airline, she organized pandemic rescue flights out of India — never expecting to one day need rescuing herself.
“It’s super frustrating, it’s pretty scary,” she said.
MacGregor said she was left disappointed by how little Canadian consular officials seemed to care about their predicament.
“They should absolutely be doing more,” she said.
“Our tax dollars pay for people to be working at these embassies.”
She said they couldn’t even register online with Global Affairs Canada once their website crashed.
A statement to the Sun from a Global Affairs Canada spokesperson said solving problems encountered overseas rests entirely with the traveller.
“The decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the individual,” she said.
“All travellers are strongly advised to follow Canada’s official travel advice.”
The spokesperson confirmed reports of other Canadians stranded overseas but declined to offer further details.
bpassifiume@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @bryanpassifiume
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