Spanish media outlets reported that Moroccan authorities did not authorize a medical aircraft to land in Marrakech, while the plane was transporting two patients infected with the Hanta Virus on a flight heading to the Netherlands.
According to the same reports, the aircraft had planned a technical stop at Marrakech Airport to refuel, but after the request was reportedly denied, the crew redirected the flight toward Gran Canaria.
Spanish authorities later allowed the aircraft to land under strict conditions, particularly because one of the isolation units used for a patient reportedly required repairs during the journey.
The reports added that the stop in the Canary Islands had not been included in the original flight plan and occurred after the aircraft could not make its scheduled refueling stop in Morocco.
The same sources also referred to electrical issues encountered while handling a medical isolation situation onboard, leading to the request for another aircraft to continue the trip, which extended the stopover to nearly seven hours.