Royal Air Maroc (AT, Casablanca Mohamed V) has signed a strategic partnership agreement with Qatar Airways (QR, Doha Hamad International) paving the way for the establishment of direct RAM flights between the two countries later this year.
Signed during the ongoing Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, the accord involves a codesharing partnership and will see the Moroccan national carrier opening up a 3x weekly return B787-8 service between Casablanca Mohamed V and Doha Hamad International complementing Qatar Airways' existing daily service.
"The Moroccan company is pleased to conclude this historic partnership that consolidates fraternal relations between the two countries," RAM CEO Driss Benhima said at the ceremony. “This agreement is a crucial phase in the history of Royal Air Maroc since it allows us to create a “bridge” between Asia and Africa that will facilitate the movement of customers in the most convenient way due to the extensive network of Qatar Airways in Asia and the dense network of Royal Air Maroc in Africa by enabling them to transit seamlessly through the hubs of the two companies, namely Doha and Casablanca.”
Despite its location on Africa's north-western tip, RAM has set itself the goal of developing its Casablanca hub into a key conduit for Asia-Africa traffic - Chinese traffic in particular. Last year, RAM's Vice President (Marketing), Saida Najioullah, said such connectivity would play a key role in determining which of the three airline alliances - Star Alliance, Skyteam, and Oneworld - it would seek to join in the longterm.
