Moroccan Diaspora in Belgium Rushes to Book Flights as Morocco Eases Travel Restrictions

After the announcement of the resumption of flights to and from Morocco from June 15 on "exceptional authorizations", the Belgian-Moroccans expressed their need to travel to the kingdom. On Monday, it was a rush to the Ramada Tours agency, specialized in flights to Morocco, in Laeken. "The phone doesn’t stop ringing. We’re trying to do our best to respond to everyone. [...] We’ve had a lot of requests," says Leila, one of the advisers, to RTBF. In total, about twenty people were received in less than an hour.

Closed long before the pandemic, the Laeken agency is reopening its doors to the delight of its customers. "It’s positive," reacts Hassan, a customer of the agency. "The people who learned this news like me are delighted and happy to return to a normal period, that we can go back to Morocco, see our families..." He intends to join the kingdom after three years of absence. "Yes, if everything goes well. I have a ticket, a reservation that goes back to 2020. There was a blockage because of the corona. I have to modify it to be able to leave. I hope it will be accepted. I will insist in any case. [...] I have family waiting for me: my mother, my sisters, my brothers... It’s a relief to be able to see them finally."

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Jawad also went to the agency. "Most people were waiting for this decision. As for me, it’s been three years since I’ve been to Morocco. If I leave, it’s by plane, for a week or ten days, no more," he confides. Nuheila is also pleased with the announcement of the Moroccan authorities, but the surge in ticket prices is an obstacle for her and her family. "We were happy to hear the news. But the tickets are too expensive. We are a family of five. So it’s not possible. We will stay in Belgium," she reconsiders after a long time in the agency.

On Sunday, the Moroccan authorities decided to resume flights to and from Morocco, on "exceptional authorizations" from June 15, in order to facilitate the return of Moroccans residing abroad (MREs). The kingdom has excluded Spain from the Marhaba operation, which marks the return of MREs to their country by road.