Air travel between Israel and Morocco to begin this Monday

The renewal of direct flights between Israel and Morocco will take place starting Monday, said Mission to Morocco at the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Israel, Einat Levi on her LinkedIn account.

“Flights between both countries will operate first by Israeli airlines company El Al, Arkia, and Israir, and later on the first flight of Morocco’s flagship carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM), the same official specified.

“RAM’s flight was supposed to take place last December and was postponed due to pandemic-related worries and closure of borders,” she added.

The official at the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Israel said air traffic between both countries is crucial for the development as well as building economic relations.

“Flights are the mechanism of the human connection that no business can flourish without,” Levi added.

“And if we learned anything from the last two years during the COVID situation, is not to postpone to tomorrow anything that can be done today,” she continued.

Morocco is expected to receive 200,000 Israeli tourists during this period, starting this Monday, according to Israeli media outlets.

This move came after the Moroccan government decided to reopen air borders starting February 7, after a two-month closure, following the national scientific committee’s recommendation to reopen “as soon as possible.”

Last October, Morocco’s flagship carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) and the Israeli airline El Al signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), aiming to benefit travelers of both countries, said RAM in the press release.

According to RAM, this MoU will allow the two airlines to explore “the possibility of concluding a codeshare on the direct lines operating between Morocco and Israel as well as on the routes of their networks.

Previously, both parties signed an air agreement in January 2021, authorizing Moroccan and Israeli airlines to serve both sides, part of the trilateral agreement involving the US in December 2020.