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ARCHIVED - Iberia sends its largest plane to repatriate Spaniards caught out by flights ban in Morocco
Although 1,150 of those who were caught out when the authorities announced flight cancellations have now returned to Spain, another 3,000 are still waiting.
A special operation is underway to repatriate some 4,000 Spaniards left stranded in Morocco when the country decided to cancel flights to and from Spain and France.
The Moroccan authorities caught Easter holidaymakers off guard when they announced the cancellations last week to reduce the risk of tourists and visitors from Spain and France spreading new strains of coronavirus. Some were surfing in Dakhla, in the south of Western Sahara, others were on adventure holidays in the Merzouga dunes and there were groups on ‘Imperial Cities’ tours.
The Spanish Embassy immediately set about negotiating repatriations with the Moroccan authorities, which finally began on Sunday afternoon with a Balearia ship setting off for Algeciras from Tangiers Med port with 800 passengers on board. Around the same time, Iberia’s largest plane, an Airbus 350, took off from Casablanca bound for Madrid carrying 348 passengers.
Some 3,000 Spaniards are still waiting for repatriation. Work continues to schedule transport for them, and a Transmediterranea ship is due to set sail on Tuesday. Balearia and Iberia have also confirmed that they will be making further trips in the coming days.
While those on board the ship and flight on Sunday were relieved to be on their way home, many complained about the extra expense due to new PCR tests, accommodation or transport to reach their departure points on time.
Unlike in 2020, those left stranded in Morocco last week were mostly tourists who were taking advantage of the fact that, due to Covid-19 restrictions, it is easier to travel abroad than within Spain, so although there is naturally concern amongst the authorities to bring them home, there is little sympathy on the streets as the government has repeatedly requested that only essential trips be made during the period in which the country is immersed in the coronavirus crisis.
Morocco had rolled out the red carpet to European visitors, keen to re-activate its tourism sector.
Mobility restrictions are almost non-existent for tourists, apart from night-time curfews in all cities, which has encouraged travellers to start to return.
Morocco has reported 497,832 cases of coronavirus and 8,842 deaths since the pandemic began. So far, 4.3 million people in the country have received their first dose of vaccine, and 3.8 million have had both doses.
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