Royal Air Maroc
K. Khennach
Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has formalised the restoration of its direct Casablanca-Beijing route, scheduled for 20 January 2025, with the signing of 16 agreements with Chinese travel agencies. This ceremony, which took place on 18 December 2024 in Beijing, saw Abderrahman Brahimi, RAM's Director for Morocco, the Maghreb, the Middle East and Asia, and Adil Khalloufi, RAM's representative in China, conclude agreements with consolidators and agencies specialising in travel to Morocco.
These partnerships will allow RAM to guarantee long-term seat allotments on its direct flights between Casablanca and Beijing, thereby ensuring a good load factor and strengthening the route. Brahimi emphasised that these agreements reflect the strong demand from Chinese travellers for Morocco.
The Casablanca-Beijing route, initially launched in January 2020, had been suspended a few weeks after its opening due to the pandemic. It will resume on 20 January 2025, with three weekly flights: departing from Casablanca on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 16:20 (local time), and departing from Beijing on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 13:55 (local time). The flights will be operated on board Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, offering 302 seats, including 26 in business class.
This restoration is part of RAM's 2024-2037 strategic plan, aimed at strengthening exchanges between Morocco and China. The airline plans to gradually increase the number of flights to Beijing, moving from three to seven weekly frequencies. RAM is also considering expanding its network in China, with potential destinations such as Shanghai and Guangzhou, deemed profitable for passenger and freight transport.
The reopening of this route is in line with the bilateral agreements signed during King Mohammed VI's visit to China in 2016, which had allowed for visa exemption for Chinese nationals travelling to Morocco. This visit had given new momentum to bilateral relations, particularly in the industrial, economic and cultural fields. RAM's direct route between Casablanca and Beijing aims to strengthen this dynamic by offering a more direct alternative to flights transiting through European or Middle Eastern hubs.
During the ceremony, the Moroccan Ambassador to China, Abdelkader El Ansari, stressed that this direct route meets a real need to support economic, commercial and human exchanges between the two countries. He also highlighted the strategic role of Casablanca airport as a major hub connecting Asia, Europe and North America to around forty African destinations.
This initiative is part of a broader vision aimed at strengthening relations between China and the African continent. The Ambassador also recalled RAM's recent distinction, having been voted the best airline in Africa for the second consecutive year, which reinforces the company's credibility on the international market.
RAM officials presented their strategy to promote tourism between China and Morocco, highlighting the opportunities offered by this new direct air route.
The article Resumption of the direct Casablanca-Beijing route with 16 new agreements first appeared on ALBAYANE.
