Rabat – Following the Moroccan government’s announcement to switch to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) from GMT+1 ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, Morocco’s flag carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has said it will be adapting its travel schedule in accordance with the government’s decision.
“This Sunday, March 19, 2023, Morocco will switch to GMT time at 3:00 am. For this reason, our flights are advanced by one hour until April 23 at 2:00 am for departures from and arrivals at Moroccan airports,” RAM said in a statement.
Similar to many countries across the world, Morocco adopted Daylight Saving Time (DST) during the summer months to maximize the amount of daylight available for activities and save energy. During DST, clocks are set one hour ahead of standard time.
But in 2018, Morocco decided to permanently adopt Daylight Saving Time, switching from GMT to GMT+1. An overwhelming majority of Moroccans did not welcome the move, with many participating in nationwide protests, especially students, whose school schedule got affected by the decision.
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Despite the successive protests, Morocco’s then head of the government Saad Eddine El Othmani stressed that the country would not go back on its decision.
During Ramadan, however, Morocco switches back to GMT to align the timing of fasting with the natural cycle of the sun, as the DST affects the fasting time.
During the holy month, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. They also abstain from drinking, having sex, smoking, and doing drugs.
Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar, is an opportunity for worshippers to get closer to Allah and do good deeds.
Astronomy calculations expect Morocco to observe the first day of Ramadan on March 23, but the country’s Ministry of Islamic affairs will confirm the official date after the moon sighting committee observes Ramadan’s crescent moon next week.
