Summary:

On 20 January 2025, Royal Air Maroc (RAM) announced a new direct flight connecting Casablanca and Beijing after five years since the plan was envisioned. 

RAM stated that this new flight will be operating three times a week every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday using the Boeing 787-9 plane to accommodate 302 passengers, including 26 seats in Business Class. 

RAM CEO Hamid Addou explained that “this route is primarily dedicated to the development of Moroccan tourism, as 80% of the traffic on this route is expected to consist of foreign tourists.” 

In October 2024, US carrier United Airlines announced a new non-stop flight connecting Newark, New Jersey and Marrakesh in Morocco. 

Meanwhile, Morocco’s Minister of Transport and Logistics, Abdessamad Kayouh, said on 21 January that Morocco will invest $4.1 billion to expand airports by 2030. He also stated that the country will deploy $9.6 billion in railway and transport projects to connect Moroccan cities by 2040. 

Outlook: 

The new direct flight between China and Morocco is in line with Morocoo’s plan to attract more tourists from China and the rest of Asia in order to bolster the tourism sector which is foundational for its broader economy.  

Flight connectivity will also increase the ease of doing business in Morocco which has already shown signs of surging ahead in attracting Western businesses and investors.  

The investment plans in airports and railways also represent a promising market for construction and transport firms to benefit from national infrastructure projects which will support job growth and economic activity across the country. 

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