Air France enters the line with an instruction to prevent the sale of tickets without a residence card:
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Morocco hastened to impose new procedures on Algerians wishing to enter its territory, placing a clear condition before the traveler, which is a valid Moroccan residence card or refusal to travel, in a step that comes despite the fact that Morocco is no longer among the usual travel destinations for Algerians, and the Algerian citizen does not go to the Kingdom except in limited and exceptional cases, such as the past African Cup finals.
An instruction addressed to the work teams at Algiers and Oran airports, seen by “Echorouk”, reveals a new emphasis in dealing with Algerian travelers heading to Morocco, as “Air France” employees, starting from September 16, requested that an alert be placed in the “Altea” system on all flights heading to the Kingdom, including flights that include stops. According to the instruction, employees must ensure that the Algerian traveler holds a Moroccan residence card. If he does not have it, his travel will be refused and he will be informed that the procedure has been issued based on measures decided by the Moroccan border police, and he will be directed to the Special Service for Exceptional Cases to cancel the reservation.
That is, the Algerian traveler may arrive at Algiers or Oran airport, carrying his passport and ticket, only to find that travel to Morocco depends on a residence document in Morocco in the first place. What is noteworthy is that this strictness comes at a time when the Kingdom is not a normal destination for Algerians, as the land borders have been closed for years, direct flights have been suspended, and movement between the two countries no longer knows the movement that could make Morocco a natural destination for the Algerian tourist or family.
In clearer terms, Algerians do not flock to the gates of Morocco until Rabat needs to close it in their faces. The Kingdom is outside the travel agenda for the vast majority, and those who go there often do so for special and limited circumstances.
Among the most prominent of these cases is the movement of national team supporters to Morocco during the recent African Cup of Nations, where “Greens” fans traveled to the Kingdom in order to support their country’s national team, and a number of them were forced to pass through third countries and bear hardship and additional costs to reach the stadiums. The Algerian supporter was not looking for Morocco as a tourist destination, but rather followed the “Greens” wherever they went, which explains why sports competitions constituted one of the rare cases that witnessed Algerians moving to the Kingdom in larger numbers. Relatively.
During the African Cup of Nations, foreign fans benefited from special arrangements related to the tournament, including the “Fan ID” system and the electronic visa through the “Yala” application. As for the new instruction, it does not include any reference to fans, matches, or exceptions related to sporting events, but rather sets a specific condition for Algerians, which is a valid Moroccan residence permit or refusal to travel.
Thus, the Algerian finds himself faced with a new Moroccan measure, not because he visits the Kingdom extensively, but rather despite the fact that movement there is already limited, which raises a simple question: Why all this strictness in the face of an Algerian traveler who does not initially include Morocco among his usual destinations? The Algerian who wants tourism has many destinations in front of him, and whoever wants trade, study, or treatment, Morocco is outside his account, and whoever is prevented from traveling there will not find himself forced to search for another way to enter, but can simply change his destination.
The paradox becomes clearer when it comes to flights that include stops, as the instruction indicates the necessity of applying the procedure even to travelers who pass through third countries during their trip to Morocco, which means that choosing a different air route does not necessarily eliminate the scrutiny imposed on the Algerian traveler.
The airline is also required to be strict in order to avoid “Inad” cases, that is, denying entry to the traveler upon arrival and the resulting costs and procedures for his return, which leaves the company’s employees faced with the task of checking the traveler’s documents before he takes off from Algeria.
