Beijing, December 18, 2024 – Royal Air Maroc (RAM) is proud to announce the relaunch of its first-ever direct flight between Morocco and China, the Casablanca-Beijing route, which will resume on January 20, 2025. Originally launched in January 2020, the route was suspended just a few weeks later due to the global health crisis. The relaunch of this vital connection is expected to play a pivotal role in further strengthening Morocco’s appeal to China’s growing outbound tourist market, the largest in the world.

RAM’s new service will operate three times a week, with flights departing from Casablanca on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 16:20 local time, arriving in Beijing at 11:55 the following day. Return flights from Beijing will depart on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 13:55 local time, arriving in Casablanca at 20:10 local time.

To mark this milestone, RAM signed 16 agreements with major Chinese travel agencies during a special ceremony held in Beijing on Wednesday evening. The agreements were signed by Abderrahman Brahimi, RAM’s Director for Morocco, Maghreb, Middle East, and Asia, and Adil Khalloufi, RAM’s representative in China.

The airline will operate the Casablanca-Beijing route using its state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, offering a total of 302 seats, including 26 in Business Class. This new service is part of RAM’s broader plan to enhance air connectivity between Morocco and China as part of its 2024-2037 strategic roadmap. Brahimi shared that RAM plans to increase the frequency of flights to Beijing from three to seven weekly flights and expand its network to other major Chinese cities such as Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The Casablanca-Beijing route is a key component of Morocco’s ongoing efforts to promote tourism and trade ties with China. The connection aligns with the bilateral agreements made during King Mohammed VI’s historic visit to China in 2016, which included visa-free entry for Chinese citizens visiting Morocco.

“We are thrilled to resume the first direct flight linking Morocco and China,” said Abdelhamid Addou, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Royal Air Maroc. “The Casablanca-Beijing route is instrumental in boosting Moroccan tourism, with 80% of the traffic expected to be international tourists. This route will also further strengthen the economic and trade ties between our two countries.”

Morocco sees great potential in the Chinese market, which boasts 130 million outbound tourists annually. By resuming this direct service, RAM aims to tap into this lucrative market, diversifying Morocco's tourist markets and increasing the number of Chinese visitors to the kingdom.

Tickets for the Casablanca-Beijing flights are now available for booking on RAM’s official website [www.royalairmaroc.com] (http://www.royalairmaroc.com), through its call centers, sales offices, and authorized travel agencies.

The launch of this direct route is expected to open up new opportunities for both tourism and trade between Morocco and China, further enhancing the relationship between the two nations.