The Diplomat
Nearly 1,200 Spaniards or residents in Spain were repatriated yesterday by plane or boat from Morocco, as part of a plan organised to return to our country nearly 4,000 people who were trapped in the Maghreb country when the Moroccan authorities closed the connections with Spain and France on Tuesday for health reasons.
In the operation organised by the Spanish Embassy in Rabat in coordination with the Moroccan authorities, a Balearia ship was involved, which left the port of Tangier Med for Algeciras, with 800 passengers on board; and an Iberia plane, which left Casablanca for Madrid, with 348 passengers.
Iberia initially scheduled a flight with 200 seats, but after seeing the flood of demand, it changed to an Airbus 350, the largest in its fleet, explained Juan Carlos Álvarez, general director for Africa, who was present at Casablanca airport to supervise the operation.
Tomorrow, Tuesday, another Transmediterránea ship is scheduled to transport to Spain a large group of Spaniards who are still in Morocco, where most of them had gone for their Easter holidays when they were surprised by the Moroccan decision.
