Israeli carrier Israir to commence flights to Morocco in July, El Al likely to follow suit
Morocco was once home to one of the largest and most prosperous Jewish communities in North Africa
Israeli company Israir announced Tuesday it will begin direct flights from Ben Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv to Marrakech on July 19 and declared its intention to open five flights per week between the two destinations.
"We estimate that demand will be high and that hundreds of thousands of passengers from Israel will visit the destination as part of vacation packages or as part of tour packages," Gil Stav, Israir's vice president of marketing said in a statement.
Israel and Morocco agreed in December to resume diplomatic relations and relaunch direct flights - as part of a deal brokered by the United States that also included Washington's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Morocco was once home to one of the largest and most prosperous Jewish communities in North Africa and the Middle East for centuries until Israel's founding in 1948. As Jews fled or were expelled from many Arab countries, an estimated 250,000 Jews left Morocco for Israel from 1948 to 1964.
Today, only around 3,000 Jews remain in Morocco, while hundreds of thousands of Israelis claim Moroccan ancestry.
In March, Moroccan Tourism Minister Nadia Fettah Alaoui said she expected 200,000 Israeli visitors in the first year following the resumption of direct flights while tourism receipts in Morocco showed more than a 53-percent decline between 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Israel's national carrier El Al, also said in a statement on Tuesday that it hoped to start direct flights to Morocco in July and that it was now awaiting final approvals from Moroccan and Israeli authorities.