Israeli airline to launch direct route to Morocco’s Marrakesh in July

Israir will launch direct flights between Israel and Morocco’s Marrakesh in July, the Israeli carrier said on Tuesday, six months after the two countries reached a US-backed normalization deal.

“The first flight will take place on July 19 from Tel Aviv to Marrakesh,” said a spokeswoman for Israel’s second-largest airline, adding there would be five services a week.

“We believe that demand will be high and that hundreds of thousands of Israelis will want to take advantage of these direct flights to Morocco,” Gil Stav, Israir’s deputy sales director, said in a statement.

Morocco was one of four regional states to normalize ties with Israel in 2020, along with Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates.

The move came as the administration of former US president Donald Trump recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, a disputed and divided former Spanish colony.

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The national flags of Israel and Morocco are projected on the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, December 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

Israel’s top airline El Al operated a first direct commercial flight between Tel Aviv and Rabat in December 2020.

Israir said the price of a return ticket to Marrakesh would cost $580.

Morocco is home to North Africa’s largest Jewish community, which numbers around 3,000. Some 700,000 Jews of Moroccan origin live in Israel.