Mr. Abderrahmane Ibrahimi, Director of Morocco, Maghreb, Middle East and Asia at Royal Air Maroc, and Adil Khloufi, representative of Royal Air Maroc in China, signed 16 agreements with travel agencies specialising in the Moroccan destination.
Mr. Ibrahimi stated to the Maghreb Arabe Presse agency, "We have signed long-term seat booking contracts for our direct flights between Casablanca and Beijing, which will allow us to strengthen our partnership with the Chinese agency network and ensure a good occupancy rate capable of boosting the Casablanca-Beijing route."
He noted that the signing ceremony marks the culmination of long discussions with our old and new Chinese partners, pointing out that these partnerships demonstrate the strong demand for the Moroccan destination from Chinese travellers.
The Casablanca-Beijing route was launched on 16 January 2020, before being suspended a few weeks later due to the health crisis.
It will resume from 20 January 2025 at a rate of three flights per week. These flights are organised from Casablanca on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 3:15 PM (local time), arriving the following day at Beijing International Airport at 10:50 AM (local time).
Regarding flights departing from Beijing, they will be scheduled on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 12:50 PM (local time), arriving in Casablanca at 8:15 PM (local time).
These flights are operated on Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which have 302 seats, including 26 in business class.
Mr. Ibrahimi explained that the reactivation of this route is part of the 2024-2037 general strategic plan for Royal Air Maroc, which aims to facilitate, develop and enrich exchanges between Morocco and China.
In this regard, he confirmed that the national airline intends to gradually increase the frequency of its flights to Beijing from three to seven flights per week.
He added that Royal Air Maroc also intends to expand its network to include other Chinese cities, notably Shanghai and Guangzhou, which are destinations identified as profitable for both passenger and cargo transport.
Mr. Ibrahimi pointed out that "the direct Casablanca-Beijing air route embodies the bilateral agreements signed during the historic visit of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to China in 2016, which was notably marked by the exemption of Chinese citizens from entry visas for Morocco."
He stressed that the Royal visit to China marked a turning point in bilateral relations, leading to visits by numerous delegations from both countries in the industrial, economic and cultural fields, noting that the Royal Air Maroc direct route to the Chinese capital is part of strengthening this dynamic by offering a practical alternative to flights passing through European or Middle Eastern hubs.
A dinner was organised on this occasion, attended in particular by representatives of the Moroccan Embassy in China, journalists, and Chinese and Moroccan figures from various backgrounds.
In a speech on this occasion, the Moroccan Ambassador to China, Abdelkader El Ansari, confirmed that the direct route between Casablanca and Beijing meets a real need to support the dynamic of Chinese-Moroccan bilateral relations, both in terms of trade and economic exchanges, and human exchanges.
He added that the reactivation of this route is also part of a broader strategy aimed at strengthening relations between China and the African continent.
He also highlighted the position of Casablanca airport as a key link between Asia, Europe and North America on one hand, and about forty African destinations on the other.
The Ambassador concluded that this ambition is reinforced by Royal Air Maroc recently being crowned the best airline in Africa for the second consecutive year, which strengthens its credibility in the international market.
Following this, representatives of Royal Air Maroc reviewed the company's strategy and vision regarding tourism development prospects between the two countries.
