Morocco suspends all international flights

RABAT: Morocco on Sunday suspended day all international passenger flights to and from its airports as a protective measure against the spread of coronavirus, the foreign ministry said.

Morocco has confirmed 28 coronavirus cases including one death and one recovery.

“There are flights, we are waiting at the counter. It is very tense,” French traveller Sabrina said by telephone from the southern tourist hub of Marrakesh.

France announced that Rabat had agreed to allow special repatriation flights for its nationals.

“New flights are being organised to enable (stranded French tourists) to return to France,” President Emmanuel Macron tweeted on Saturday.

France asked airlines to help bring back thousands of French citizens stuck in Morocco, French Transport Minister Jean-baptiste Djebbari said on Sunday.

The French consul in Morocco, Philipe Casenave, said on Twitter that France would not carry out its own repatriation as long as there was an option to fly on commercial airlines.

“I have asked aviation companies to proceed with all the repatriation of our compatriots, notably in Morocco, and since yesterday there have been some flights especially from Marrakech, Casablanca and Rabat,” Djebbari said.

Other flights will be sent to Agadir and Tangier to repatriate some 12,000 French nationals from Morocco, he added.

Foreign Minister Jean-yves Le Drian said on Twitter that there would be 40 flights from Morocco to France on Sunday, with more to follow in the coming days.

Thousands of tourists packed airports in Morocco on Sunday hoping to board scarce flights back to Europe.

In Marrakech airport, many people spent the night waiting for flights.

“My flight to Bordeaux was cancelled. I bought another ticket for Basle in Switzerland, which was cancelled as well. We don’t know if we will be refunded because the airline is not yet answering,” said one of them, Cornetin Berrot.