Morocco closes airspace to Spain, France

Rabat, Mar 30 (efe-epa).- Morocco will ban flights from and to Spain and France as from midnight on Tuesday night to prevent the spread of new coronavirus variants.

The flight suspension, which comes less than two weeks before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, will be in place until further notice, the transport and tourism ministry said on Monday.

Although Morocco had already taken similar measures with 37 countries, the flight suspension with Spain and France has generated more reaction, given the large Moroccan communities in both countries. Spain and France account for 52 percent of the foreign tourism into the African country.

It also comes before Ramadan, which normally sees large numbers of Moroccan travelers returning home to spend the month with their families.

“I was at the airport when I found out that flights to Spain are going to be suspended, there was total confusion,” Sami, who, like many students, was planning to spend the summer in Morocco, told Efe.

“I had to give up my trip to Rabat because I was not sure when I could return,” he added. EFE-EPA

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