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Struggling to meet the requirements set by the authorities to fly home, Moroccans and foreigners wishing to come to Morocco are fed up. On Monday, tens of them have decided to voice their frustration, referring to the skyrocketing prices of flights to Morocco, the pricey Covid-19 tests, and the almost-impossible requirements to be allowed back on the national territory.
In front of the Moroccan consulate in London, around 80 Moroccans, UK residents, students and nationals that have been stranded in the country since March, have been observing a sit-in to protest against said hard-to-meet requirements.
Masks on, these Moroccans have been chanting and demanding new solutions for their entry into Morocco. Videos sent to Yabiladi by some of the attendees, show them lined near the Moroccan consulate, in an attempt to get an answer regarding what some of them described as a desperate situation.
Stranded and exhausted
Speaking to Yabiladi, one of the senior stranded Moroccan citizens said that he feels «tired and exhausted». «I have been stranded here for more than four months, I just want to go home», he complained. While protesting before the Moroccan consulate, he explained that «after booking a ticket with one of the authorized airlines, as stressed by the authorities, it was canceled».
«In addition to the pricey tickets, now they are being canceled for no reason and it is definitely creating a problem with the tests which are also very expensive», he argued. «People are scared of booking, getting their flight canceled and not being able to meet the required period (48 hours before boarding)», he added, threatening to observe an open sit-in near the consulate.
Indeed, Aziz, a UK resident, told Yabiladi that in addition to PCR and antibody tests, whose prices can go up to £ 300 in the country, Moroccans have to exclusively book with Air Arabia and RAM. «The two airline companies are offering very expensive flights, more expensive than usual, and for families that have kids it is just a lot to handle and let’s not forget about the tests», he added. «It is not fair», he complained.
The Moroccan man also complained that people wishing to go home cannot book with «affordable airlines and even those who have already booked have just wasted their time and money».
Pricey flight tickets
Other Moroccans protesting in front of the embassy said that while trying to book a flight home, they were surprised to see that «the prices go to up to £ 1,500 for a one-way London-Casablanca flight».
Consulted on Monday by Yabiladi, the Royal Air Maroc commercial website displays flight ticket prices ranging between 4,215 dirhams for a flight scheduled for July 22 and 4,500 dirhams for another one scheduled Sunday July 19, linking London to Casablanca.
However, for the first flight scheduled for Wednesday, prices amount to 18,181 dirhams. Ticket prices are expected to go down starting from August, at 3,210 dirhams.
For its part, Air Arabia offers tickets varying between 4,510 dirhams for a London-Marrakech flight scheduled for July 22 and 4,910 dirhams for the same route on July 18. It is only from August that ticket prices for this flight between the British capital and Marrakech will start to decrease, reaching 3,160 dirhams on August 1, and 1,939 dirhams on August 4.
In addition to the protest, Moroccan residents and others stranded in the UK launched a petition to bring attention to their struggle. Published on 38degrees, the petition has gathered more than 300 signatures so far.
In this petition, these Moroccans demand that RAM and Air Arabia to «review ticket pricing for Moroccans stranded abroad because the fares are too high». They also urge the Moroccan authorities to review «the tests required before boarding and complete tests on arrival».
The situation is the same for other Moroccans stranded or based in other countries around the world. A RAM flight linking Dubai to Casablanca for July 16 costs 10,087 dirhams. Another one from New York to Casablanca is sold at 7,652 dirhams for Wednesday July 15. The prices for flights to closer destinations, such as Tunisia (RAM) and Turkey (Air Arabia), range from 2,500 and 3,600 dirhams for the coming days.
