The route was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Royal Air Maroc at Washington Dulles International Airport. (Photo: J. David Buerk: www.jdavidbuerk.com)
On Friday, June 7, 2024, Royal Air Maroc (RAM) announced the relaunch of its non-stop transatlantic route connecting Casablanca and São Paulo. Starting from Dec. 7, 2024, this service will operate using a Boeing 787-8 aircraft configured for 274 passengers, including 18 business and 256 economy class seats. Flights will run three times a week.
Departing from Casablanca, the flights will take place on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 4:40 p.m. local time, arriving in São Paulo at 10:20 p.m. local time. Return flights will depart from São Paulo on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 12:20 a.m. local time, landing in Casablanca at 1:15 p.m. Reservations will be available for sale starting from June 12, 2024.
“We are very happy to resume the Casablanca – São Paulo route, which had been suspended since the health crisis. This resumption is part of our development plan and will strengthen our far-reaching network, marking our return to the continent of Latin America. The route will facilitate travel for tourists and businesspeople from both continents, meeting the expectations of European tourists eager to plan combined trips to Africa and Latin America,” said Hamid Addou, CEO of Royal Air Maroc.
The airline slowed operations in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 health crisis. The company was already flying to Brazil, with service in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, which were suspended during the pandemic. Prior to the pandemic, Royal Air Maroc was the third airline with the largest offer of seats to Africa and the only one that provided connectivity in the north of the continent.
According to the press statement, this route will facilitate travel between the two continents, meeting the expectations of European tourists wishing to plan combined trips to Africa and Latin America. It will also contribute to strengthening economic and diplomatic ties between Morocco and Brazil, long-standing partners. The revival of this service is part of Royal Air Maroc’s mobilization to support the Kingdom’s major projects, including the 2030 FIFA World Cup organized by Morocco, Spain and Portugal. Brazilians, who are big football fans, will be able to travel easily between Sao Paulo and the three host countries via the Casablanca hub.
In 2019, Royal Air Maroc transported 129,468 passengers between Morocco and Brazil, with load factors of 76%, according to Brazil’s Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC). With this return to Sao Paulo, Royal Air Maroc would bring its destinations in the Americas to five, following Montreal in Canada, Washington, New York, and Miami in the United States.
The oneworld airline will soon welcome 12 new aircraft, including two Dreamliners and ten Boeing 737 MAXs, to support its new routes. This information was revealed by the CEO Abdelhamid Addou in an interview with media website Jeune Afrique on May 11, 2024.
RAM expects the delivery of the 12 aircraft from Boeing between the fourth quarter of this year and March next year, supporting the growth of its fleet and the expansion of its flight network.
The airline plans to spend up to $25 billion to quadruple its fleet, from the current 50 to 200 over the next ten years. The airline flies to 82 destinations in 41 regions around the world, mainly to the largest capitals in Europe, Africa, North America, and the Middle East.
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