Sandstorms Force Cancelations & Diversions At Casablanca Airport
Several flights landed at other Moroccan airports, while Emirates A380 diverted to Madrid. On October 22, severe weather conditions at Casablanca's Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) caused several flights to be cancelled, delayed, and diverted. Flights were disrupted throughout the day, but operations slowly returned to normal towards the evening. A weather alert was issued in Morocco on Saturday warning of strong winds and rainfall, which affected several areas including the airport. Royal Air Maroc's (RAM) flight AT262 from Malabo was among the first affected flights. Several flights from Europe were also affected, including Iberia's flight IB8792 from Madrid, Air Arabia's 3O458 from Milan, and Air France's AF1596 from Paris. Most flights waiting to depart during this period were delayed for several hours. Following the weather improvement, flights seem to be operating normally with minimal delays.
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On Sunday, October 22, severe weather conditions brought Casablanca's Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) to a temporary standstill, with several flights being canceled, delayed, and diverted. Flights were disrupted throughout the day, but operations slowly returned to normal towards the evening.
A weather alert was issued in Morocco on Saturday, warning residents and travelers of strong winds and rainfall, which would affect several areas, including Casablanca, throughout the weekend. Severe dust storms and 46 mph (74 km/h) winds reached the airport, and according to local reports, flight activity had initially been suspended from 11:00 to 18:00 local time.
One of the first flights affected was the national carrier Royal Air Maroc's (RAM) flight AT262 from Malabo (SSG). The Boeing 737 was scheduled to depart SSG at 05:40 and land at CMN at 11:00. However, the flight was diverted to Marrakesh Menara Airport (RAK). Other RAM flights, including AT273 from Cairo (CAI), AT777 from Paris (ORY), AT1411 from El Aaiun (EUN), and AT793 from Bordeaux (BOD) were diverted to RAK and Fes (FEZ).
Several flights from Europe were also affected, including Iberia's flight IB8792 from Madrid, Air Arabia's 3O458 from Milan (BGY), and Air France's AF1596 from Paris (CDG). Similarly, most flights waiting to depart during this period were delayed for several hours. A spokesperson from Morocco's National Airports Office said to le360,
Emirates' Airbus A380 service from Dubai International Airport (DXB) to Casablanca became one of the most tracked flights on Sunday. Flight EK751 departed DXB at 08:00 and was scheduled to arrive at CMN around 12:45. However, at around 12:45, the aircraft began diverting to Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD). It landed in the Spanish capital around 15:30 local time.
According to Nadoriis on X, other Moroccan airports outside Casablanca have no official facilities capable of handling the superjumbo. Flightradar24 shows that the A380, registration A6-EOZ, left Madrid on October 23 at 08:36 and landed in Casablanca at 09:09. It was scheduled to depart the Moroccan capital at midday, heading for Dubai.
Emirates currently operates daily A380 flights between the two cities. It reintroduced the superjumbo on the DXB-CMN route in April 2023, replacing the Boeing 777. This is part of the airline's commitment to continue supporting inbound tourism in the North African country.
After several disruptions and moments of poor visibility, flight activity at CMN began returning to normal in the middle of the afternoon. TAP Air Portugal's E195, scheduled to depart at 11:25, eventually took off at 16:39. RAM's Boeing 737, scheduled to depart for London Gatwick at 12:10, departed at 16:43.
While there were significant delays, aircraft could take off and land throughout the evening. "Following the marked improvement in weather conditions, activity has returned to normal, both on departure and arrival of flights from Casablanca," As of midday October 23, flights seem to be operating normally with minimal delays.
Last month, Morocco was hit by another natural disaster, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake. It affected several cities, including one of the most popular tourist destinations, Marrakesh. Despite this, international airlines continued operating flights to RAK and other airports even in the immediate aftermath of the disaster; therefore, inbound traffic was not significantly affected.
According to data released by the National Airports Office, Moroccan airports have welcomed a record number of passengers in the last nine months. The country's International airports received 17.5 million travelers between January and September 2023, a 6% increase compared to pre-pandemic 2019 and a 37% increase compared to 2022.
What are your thoughts on this story? Were you in Casablanca this weekend? Please let us know in the comments!