Moroccan Diaspora in Spain Anxious for Ferry Routes to Reopen Ahead of Summer Travel

Morocco reopened its airspace on February 7, which had been closed since November 29 to limit the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. But the maritime borders remain closed. For Moroccans residing in Spain, the situation is becoming difficult as they can only travel to Morocco by air. But since the announcement of the resumption of flights, the prices of tickets for the only flight operated by Air Arabia from Majorca are exorbitant.

To read: Morocco Extends Maritime Border Closure to Combat COVID-19 Spread

Boujemaa, originally from Al Hoceima, is not very enthusiastic about air travel to go to Morocco. "In the plane, we can hardly transport things," he complains, calling for the resumption of maritime links to be able to join his hometown in Morocco with his vehicle. Since the end of the summer of 2020, he has not returned to Morocco, he says. On the other hand, his friend, Youssef, plans to go to Tetouan by plane. "As I don’t have a car, I don’t care," he explains, specifying that he has not been to Morocco since the start of the pandemic.

To read: article 90266

Khalid, from Rabat, is a vegetable merchant. He was in Morocco last October, just before the airspace was closed. He assures that several of his neighbors "are preparing to go to Morocco," even if many of them prefer to wait for the resumption of maritime links to go there with their car. Like them, many Moroccans are impatient for the resumption of maritime routes between Morocco and Spain and hope that the Marhaba Operation can take place this year, after two missed editions in 2020 and 2021.