Morocco bans UK flights as Covid-19 cases hit record highs

Flights between Morocco and the UK, Netherlands and Germany have been suspended. Photo / 123rf

Morocco has announced flights to and from the UK will be banned from today as a result of rising Covid-19 cases.

In a statement from the Moroccan government, several UK airlines and holiday companies were told flights to the Mediterranean country would be suspended from Wednesday.

Netherlands and Germany were also included in the suspension, which currently has no specified end date.

The announcement follows the UK hitting nearly 50,000 new cases of Covid-19 on Tuesday, with daily new cases topping 40,000 for seven days straight.

Infection rates hit their highest in three months yesterday, causing Downing Street to warn of a "challenging winter" and a fear of another winter lockdown.

In Morocco, the weekly rate of reported cases on October 14 was 10.4 per 100,000 people.

To put that into perspective, the UK had a rate of 445.5 per 100,000 people.

UK passengers aren't banned from travelling to Morocco entirely but must travel via a third country such as Spain or France.

The UK government has updated its advice for travelling to Morocco since the announcement.

The advice specifies that, while direct flights are suspended, UK passengers can still travel to Morocco via a third country such as Spain or France.

The Moroccan city of Marrakech is a popular destination for many Brits. Photo / Unsplash

Additionally, upon arrival to Morocco travellers must provide a negative PCR test taken within 48 hours of boarding or proof they have been fully vaccinated for at least two weeks.

EasyJet has cancelled outbound flights from the UK, the Netherlands and Germany to Morocco until November 30.

However, EasyJet will continue to operate two flights from Manchester and Gatwick to Marrakech in order to bring UK customers home.

"We are contacting all customers whose flights are cancelled with their options, which include a free of charge transfer, receiving a voucher or a refund," a statement from EasyJet said.

British Airways also cancelled flights and said it would give customers full refunds or vouchers.

The Foreign Office has also updated its warning: "The Moroccan Government has announced the suspension for an unspecified period of direct flights between Morocco and the UK (and Germany and The Netherlands) with effect from midnight October 20."

With half-term holidays starting on October 25, the timing will be less than ideal for many Brits who had planned to get some late winter sun.

As a 3-hour 40-minute flight from London, Morocco is a popular short-haul destination for those in the UK.

It remains to be seen whether other destinations follow suit and ban UK flights in the wake of high Covid-19 cases.