A few days after the royal announcement of Morocco’s decision to authorize direct flights with Israel, three Israeli companies have already expressed their interest in serve the Kingdom. According to several official sources, these connections will be operational at the end of March 2021 and will initially transport 200,000 tourists from next year.
Faced with the worst crisis of its entire existence, Morocco’s tourism industry welcomed with surprise and satisfaction the news of the upcoming authorization of direct airlines between Morocco and Israel. Indeed, this unexpected decision will provide a new issuing market.
Israeli arrivals expected to explode in 2021
Preferring to speak on condition of anonymity, our interlocutors affirm that the arrival of the Israeli issuing market is unexpected good news since the outbreak of the pandemic.
« Receiving 200,000 visitors from the end of 2021 is perfectly feasible with the prerequisite of air travel, not to mention the promotional actions which will soon be carried out.
« Indeed, the 70,000 Israelis who visit Morocco each year come without any organization or structuring of their market, whereas from 2021, there will be clients such as tour operators or airlines who will manage these air flows.
A gain of 130,000 tourists in one year compared to 140,000 Chinese in 4 years
« With three Israeli carriers who have said they are ready to quickly serve the Moroccan market and the national company (RAM) which should also ensure the reciprocal, it is therefore likely that we will be able to reach the figure of 200,000 Israeli tourists at the end of next year.
« It’s an excellent start when we know that it took four years of work before reaching the figure of 140,000 Chinese visitors in 2019.
A large diaspora which will allow us to target the millionaires club
« In fact, it is true that we do not start from the same base because Morocco has a very large Moroccan diaspora in Israel which numbers more than a million people.
« Once we reach the goal of 200,000, we will have to work a lot before we can move on to another strategy that will allow us to enter the millionaires’ club in the medium term.
« After the vaccination campaign which should put an end to the terrible health crisis that we have been experiencing for 10 months, this is one of the best news that Moroccan tourism has known.
Ultimately, Morocco will receive more Israelis than Turkey
« This is explained by the fact that this new promising market which will open up in an unexpected way is made up of a community which has a very personal relationship with its country of origin.
« When we see their performance in Turkey with 500,000 arrivals, we can only congratulate ourselves because if this country is geographically closer to Israel, Morocco is much better positioned and constitutes a destination of choice for Israelis, particularly of Sephardic Moroccan origin », concludes visibly delighted our expert who is much more optimistic about the 2021 recovery.
Before the actual launch, necessary signing of air agreements
As for the authorities responsible for implementing the process of launching new airlines between the two countries, we say we are very optimistic about the speed of the administrative procedures.
« First of all, air agreements will have to be signed so that Moroccan and Israeli airlines can operate in each of the two countries, but as instructions from very high places have already been given, this step should be done very quickly.
One quarter of preliminary formalities compared to 18 months as a general rule
« Knowing that there are all logistics behind it to be respected, opening a route for a single airline can take at least a year.
« To serve China, it took RAM 18 months to create its Casablanca-Beijing line but for Israel, things should go much faster because there is a real political will which has been made public by the highest authorities of the two countries », summarizes our ministerial interlocutor.
According to another reliable source, there will remain mainly technical questions to be resolved by governments, by ONDA and finally by the DGAC before moving on to operating the lines.
Airlines will be operational in February or March 2021
« Thus, to serve Casablanca or Tel Aviv, the two governments will first have to be able to guarantee security on board each flight.
« It is only at the end of the government agreements that the transport authorities will be able to approve the planes that will be used, set up a number of frequencies, the flight program, the number of slots in the departure and arrival airports and then finally take care of the necessary embarkation and disembarkation formalities with several contract signatures.
« While it is difficult to say when the flights will start, everything will depend on the responsiveness of the 3 Israeli companies (El Al, Israir Airlines, Arkia) but given their recent declarations, the launch will be operational in 2 or 3 months », concludes our air expert who adds that we will have to wait 10 to 15 days to have more visibility.
In an interview with the newspaper “Le Monde”, Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, was equally optimistic, declaring that “direct connections will be inaugurated very soon”.
Tel Aviv-Casa: $450 in 5 hours instead of $850 in 12 hours
In several press statements, the CEOs of El Al Israel Airlines and Israir Airlines have announced their intention to operate direct flights from next March which will last 5 hours instead of 12 with a stopover with an average price of 450 dollars compared to 850 currently.
Concerning future frequencies, the Israeli company Israir announced to the daily « The Jerusalem Post » that it would start with 20 flights per week between the two countries, including at least one daily flight between Tel Aviv and Casablanca.
Knowing that many Moroccans aspire to go to Israel, RAM should also serve its airports even if for the moment, it has not received any visibility from the Moroccan government…
source: medias24.com
