The direct flights to connect Israel to Morocco, announced in December, will finally start in July, after several postponements. According to Israeli media, Israeli tourists should, for the moment, travel in organized trips or receive an invitation to visit the Kingdom. Gil Stav, vice-president of Israeli airline Israir Airlines, in charge of marketing, told the newspaper that direct flights should operate to Marrakech, as soon as the necessary authorizations are obtained. «We are preparing to operate direct flights to Marrakech from the month of July, and we expect Morocco to be an exceptional tourist destination, given the characteristics it enjoys, such as its magnificent beaches and nature», she said. An informed source, however, told Mako «unlike the United Arab Emirates, with which Israel has reached an agreement for air links, new destinations like Bahrain and Morocco are now facing security and bureaucratic difficulties». «This causes delays in setting up these flights», she concluded. In December, the Israir and El Al airlines declared that they were «ready» to operate direct air links between Morocco and Israel, after the announcement of the restoration of diplomatic relations between Rabat and Tel Aviv. A first flight even carried a joint Israeli-American delegation that visited the Kingdom. Four months later, a second direct commercial flight from Al El, connecting Morocco to Israel, took off Monday from Tel Aviv airport to land in Casablanca, after more than 6 hours of flight, to transport the same day, an Israeli businessman who was in the Kingdom.
