RAM seals resumption of Casablanca-Beijing route with 16 agreements
In anticipation of resuming the direct Casablanca-Beijing route on January 20, 2025, Morocco’s carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) inked 16 agreements with leading Chinese travel agencies, specializing in Morocco as a destination, during a ceremony held in Beijing.
The agreements were initialed by RAM’s MENA & Asia Director Abderrahman Brahimi and RAM’s representative in China Adil Khalloufi.
“We have signed contracts for long-term seat allotments on our direct Casablanca-Beijing flights, which will bolster our partnerships with the Chinese travel agency network and guarantee a good occupancy rate to reinforce the Casablanca-Beijing route”, Brahimi said.
“This signing ceremony marks the conclusion of lengthy discussions with our old and new Chinese partners,” he added, stressing that these partnerships testify to the strong demand from Chinese travelers for Morocco as a destination.
Initially launched on January 16, 2020, the Casablanca-Beijing route was suspended a few weeks later due to the COVID health crisis.
The service will be resumed starting January 20, 2025, with three frequencies per week. Flights departing from Casablanca will be operated on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 4.20 p.m. (local time), landing the following day at Beijing International Airport at 11.55 a.m. (local time).
Departures from Beijing will be on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
The flights will be operated by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft with a capacity of 302 seats, including 26 in Business Class.
The resumption of this route is part of RAM’s overall 2024-2037 strategic plan, aimed at facilitating, developing, and enriching trade between Morocco and China, Brahimi explained.
Morocco’s flagship carrier plans to gradually increase the frequency of weekly flights to Beijing from three to seven.
RAM is also arranging to extend its network to other Chinese cities, notably Shanghai and Guangzhou, destinations identified as potentially profitable for both passenger and cargo transport, he continued.
RAM’s direct Casablanca-Beijing air service strengthens the bilateral agreements sealed during King Mohammed VI’s historic visit to China in 2016, which had notably resulted in visa exemption for Chinese nationals traveling to Morocco, Brahimi noted.
The Royal Visit to China marked a turning point in bilateral relations, as it was followed by numerous delegations’ visit exchanges between the two countries in the industrial, economic and cultural fields. RAM’s direct route to the Chinese capital is part of efforts to bolster this momentum, offering a more practical alternative to flights transiting via European or Middle Eastern hubs.
