Travel experts have expressed concerns that other countries may follow Morocco’s lead and ban flights to and from the UK as a result of a spike in COVID cases in the European country.
After Morocco imposed a flight suspension to and from the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands, German multinational travel company, TUI, announced that it will no longer operate flights to Marrakech and Agadir in the North African country.
Morocco’s flight ban will be in effect from midnight on Wednesday, October 20.
Paul Charles, chief executive of the PC Agency and a travel consultant, expressed concern that other countries would also restrict flight access from the UK.
“Morocco’s move could lead to other countries also banning UK flights in the coming weeks, especially if they have lower vaccination rates. We know that once one country takes such a decision, then others fall like dominoes,” he said.
According to the travel consultant, the next development in the current situation will depend on whether the UK government can provide enough evidence to convince other nations that the higher infection rates are manageable and will not result in serious hospitalizations.
“The last thing our sector needs right now is to fall backward and see travel being restricted again, especially as we’re learning to live with Covid,” Charles said.
The recent data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control indicate that Morocco reported 10.4 cases per 100,000 people for the week ending October 14, compared to 445.5 cases per 100,000 people for the UK.
The UK Foreign Travel Office has updated its travel advice regarding travel to Morocco. In it, UK passengers who are stuck in Morocco, or passengers who want to enter the North African country, are advised to contact their airline or travel agent so that an alternative route can be arranged via a third country, such as Spain or France, where flights continue to be operational.
Swiss low-cost airline EasyJet operates 14 weekly flights to and from Morocco. Other airlines include British Airways, Ryanair, Wizz Air, and Royal Air Maroc.
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