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Highlights
- Morocco has suspended British flights due to increasing coronavirus cases.
- The time period for which the ban will stay isn’t specified yet.
- UK passengers could still travel to Morocco, not directly, but via a third country.
The Moroccan government has told many UK airlines and holiday companies on Wednesday that it has suspended both inbound and outbound flights from the UK until further notice due to surging Covid cases. In addition to the UK, Morocco has also banned its flights from Germany and the Netherlands.
According to the recent figures released by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, the weekly rate of reported Covid-19 cases in Morocco stood at 10.4 per 100,000 people on 14 October, while in the UK it was 445.5 per 100,000 people. The number of coronavirus cases are rising again in the UK, with more than 40,000 new cases being reported for over a week now.
The UK government updated its advice on travelling to Morocco, stating that the direct flights to and from Morocco were banned for an unstated period of time. However, the UK passengers can still travel to Morocco, not directly, but via a third country. As stated in the advice, a proof of full vaccination for at least two weeks, or a negative PCR test which is at most two days old, would have to be provided to the Moroccan authorities on arrival.
Until 30 November, EasyJet has suspended all its flights from the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands to Morocco. Many other aviation and travel companies are doing the same.
Let’s take a look at some of the UK aviation stocks which may be impacted by this news.
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easyJet plc (LON: EZJ)
easyJet plc has domestic and international scheduled services in over 30 countries. Its current market cap stands at £4,481.36 million. It has given a return of 13.39% in 1 year. The previous close price of easyJet plc’s shares was GBX 591.20 as of 20 October 2021.
Wizz Air Holdings PLC (LON: WIZZ)
Wizz Air Holdings PLC provides passenger air transportation services on scheduled short-haul and medium-haul point-to-point routes. Its current market cap stands at £4,452.41 million. It has given a return of 25.10% in 1 year. The previous close price of easyJet plc’s shares was GBX 4,321.00 as of 20 October 2021.
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Jet2 PLC (LON: JET2)
Jet2 PLC provides licensed packages for leisure flights and holiday packages at vacation destinations. Its current market cap stands at £2,644.11 million, and it has given a return of 47.72% in 1 year. The previous close price of Jet2 PLC’s shares was GBX 1,232.00 as of 20 October 2021.
International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A. (LON: IAG)
International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A. provides passenger and cargo transportation services. The company is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index with a current market cap of £7,813.55 million. It has given a return of 47.40% in 1 year. The previous close price of International Consolidated Airlines Group S.A.’s shares was GBX 157.50 as of 20 October 2021.
Ryanair Holdings plc (LON: RYA)
Ryanair Holdings plc provides scheduled-passenger airline services. Its current market cap stands at £15,521.77 million, and it has given a return of 29.23% in 1 year. The previous close price of Ryanair Holdings plc’s shares was GBX 16.03 as of 20 October 2021.
