MADRID – Morocco’s airspace will be accessible again on February 7. From November 29, no regular flights to and from Morocco were operated. However, the Moroccan government is still studying what conditions will apply to travellers when entering the country.
Since the pandemic, the Moroccan government suddenly closed the borders several times. As a result, thousands of Spaniards and people from other nationalities could not leave the North African country. Moreover, thousands of Moroccan nationals abroad could not return to the country since the end of November. The Moroccan state only allowed repatriation flights between December 15 and 23. Furthermore, only flights from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and Portugal could land in Morocco.
Moroccans who arrived on those planes had to go into quarantine in hotels in Morocco assigned by the state. Over the past month, Moroccans working in the tourism sector have protested against the government’s decision to close the airspace. They called on their government to reopen the borders.
Earlier, the Moroccan government announced that in response to the advancing Omicron variant, they extended the state of emergency until the end of February. However, the drastic measures have not prevented the Omicron variant from being responsible for 95% of the covid infections in Morocco.
Private jets welcome in Morocco
However, the travel restrictions have not hindered those willing to pay around €1,500 for flights on private jets, arriving in Morocco from cities such as Malaga, as El País has been able to verify. These passengers, be they Moroccans or foreigners, did not have to go into quarantine.
Exceptionally, Rabat has allowed the departure of its territory in January through two special chartered ferries from the port of Tanger Med to Marseille. And a third will come out on February 2. The three boats are intended for European passengers or permanent residents in Morocco who have a vehicle registered in Europe. Meanwhile, no ship has sailed to Spain, despite the fact that the distance between the ports of Algeciras and Tanger Med is an hour and a half, while from Marseille to the Moroccan coast it takes 42 hours to arrive.
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