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Join on Telegram Rabat – Turkish Airlines announced this week that it scheduled special flights to help tourists from Turkey and other countries leave Morocco.
The Turkish carrier scheduled three special flights, which will help repatriate Turkish nationals and tourists of other nationalities who have been stranded in Morocco after travelling to the North African country for business, studies, or tourism.
Morocco suspended flights with many countries, including Turkey, as part of its preventive measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.
Two of the scheduled Turkish Airlines flights departed Morocco from the Casablanca Mohammed V Airport on Thursday, May 27, Saturday, May 29.
The third special flight will depart on Monday, May 31, at 16:30 p.m.
Travelers aged over six-year-old should present a negative COVID-19 tes taken in less than 72 hours before their trip.
With the recent lockdown easing at the end of Ramadan, Moroccans in the country and overseas are waiting to see whether the gradual relaxation of Morocco’s pandemic measures will also include the opening of borders.
Morocco has been under a state of emergency since March 2020, allowing authorities to take proactive measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The measure allows Morocco to suspend flights with countries with high numbers of COVID-19 infections.
Moroccan news outlet Le360 reported this week that Morocco’s government is preparing to review the country’s ongoing border restrictions.
A government source told the news outlet that Morocco should be making a new announcement on the subject in the coming week.
With summer around the corner tourists as well as Moroccans living abroad (MREs) are waiting to see whether the government will take special measures this summer.
In 2020, Morocco suspended all flights following the closure of borders.
Morocco also canceled the Marhaba operation last year due to COVID-19. Morocco launches the operation to welcome back millions of Moroccans living abroad every summer.
Over two million Moroccans participate in the operation every year.
Only by late 2020 did Morocco start scheduling special flights to take MREs back to their residence countries; Moroccans abroad wishing to travel to Morocco for family visits also benefited from the special flights.
Morocco eased lockdown measures on borders but the state of emergency allows the country’s authorities to close or suspend flights with a host of countries, depending on each country’s epidemiological situation.
It remains unclear whether Morocco will allow the Marhaba operation this year.
