Israir and El Al launch first direct routes to Morocco’s Marrakesh

Both Israir and El Al have launched direct flights between Tel Aviv in Israel and Morocco’s Marrakesh Sunday, 25 July, nearly eight months after the two countries reached a normalisation deal.

Israir Airlines flight 6H61, operated by Airbus A320 4X-ABI, took off from Tel Aviv at 08:41 and landed in Marrakesh at 12:42, shortly ahead of schedule, with a hundred Israeli tourists on board. This was the first direct commercial flight between the two countries.

Shortly thereafter, El Al Israel Airlines flight LY553, operated by Boeing 787-9 4X-EDC, took off from Tel Aviv at 11:35 and landed in Marrakesh at 15:08.

El Al operated a first direct flight carrying Israeli officials between Tel Aviv and Rabat in December 2020.

Israir spokeswoman Tali Leibovitz said two to three commercial flights between the two cities were scheduled per week

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. Before the pandemic, the 50,000 to 70,000 tourists who came each year from Israel to Morocco had to transit through other countries.