The operation is the result of collaboration between the Moroccan embassy in Canada and Canadian authorities.
Rabat – Morocco continues to forge ahead with its campaign to repatriate Moroccans stranded abroad, with the return of 303 more nationals from Canada Monday morning.
The Moroccan flag carrier, Royal Air Maroc (RAM), facilitated the repatriation operation from Montreal to the Agadir-Al Massira Airport on July 6. This flight gave priority to people suffering from chronic diseases, those who traveled to undergo medical procedures, children, and infants.
Like the first repatriation of Moroccans stranded in Canada that took place on July 4, this operation is the result of a collaboration between the Moroccan embassy in Canada and Canadian authorities.
After bringing Canadian nationals home from Morocco, RAM used the same aircraft to repatriate Moroccans who were stranded in Canada.
“We are happy and relieved that our compatriots can finally return to their country and find their parents, relatives, and friends from whom they have been separated for almost 4 months,” said Morocco’s Ambassador in Ottawa, Souriya Otmani, on the first repatriation operation for Moroccans in Canada.
State media reported that Monday’s touchdown marks the 24th repatriation flight that the Agadir-Al Massira airport has received. The airport has so far welcomed 3,974 stranded nationals coming from several countries.
The operation took place in total compliance with the sanitary measures set by the Moroccan National Office of Airports (ONDA) following an action plan formulated specifically for the repatriation of Moroccans stranded abroad.
The Agadir airport, which made the customs procedures as fluid as possible, also implemented social distancing and provided hand sanitizer throughout the process.
Upon arrival, the repatriated Moroccans boarded buses bound for eight hotels in Agadir, where they were tested for COVID-19 and will undergo nine-day quarantine in accordance with Ministry of Health protocols.
Some 32,000 Moroccans had been stranded abroad for more than three months after the country closed its borders on March 15 to contain the spread of COVID-19.
Morocco first launched the repatriation campaign in May to benefit nationals in the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, followed by Algeria, mainland Spain, the Canary Islands, and Turkey.
Moroccans have since returned from France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, the UK, the UAE, Tunisia, Mauritania, Cote d’Ivoire, and Senegal.
