A group of pilots has landed in the coastal town of Tarfaya in southern Morocco as part of a rally retracing early airmail routes between Europe and Africa.
The fifth edition of the Toulouse–Tarfaya Air Rally arrived on Sunday, marking a stop that pays tribute to the old Aéropostale postal flights and the pilots who helped map these early skies.
Organised by the Air Aventure association with the Friends of Tarfaya Association, the event brought together 43 people flying 17 small aircraft. They set off from Toulouse in France, stopped in Requena in Spain, then flew through Tangier and Essaouira before reaching Tarfaya.
Over ten days, the pilots are covering about 6,000 kilometres, following the same general routes used by early aviation pioneers, flying at speeds between 180 and 300 km per hour.
A key focus of the journey is Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French writer and pilot behind The Little Prince. He lived in Tarfaya from 1927 to 1929 while working as a station manager for the airmail service.
Tarfaya played an important role in early civil aviation, helping connect Europe with Latin America in the early days of international flight.
Beyond the flying, the rally is also aimed at boosting tourism and cultural activity in Morocco’s southern regions.
The programme includes visits to the Casamar fortress and the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Museum, along with stargazing and astronomy activities.
This year also saw the restoration of the Breguet 14 aircraft monument on Tarfaya’s seafront, which now has a new commemorative plaque. Local children also joined workshops on art and astronomy.
Launched in 2022 and recognised by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale, the rally continues to recreate historic flight paths while building cultural links between Morocco and France.
