A total of 16 agreements were initialed by RAM's MENA and Asia Director Abderrahman Brahimi and RAM's representative in China Adil Khalloufi, with consolidators and travel agencies specializing in Morocco as a destination.

“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 told MAP.

"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 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 at 13:55 (local time), arriving in Casablanca at 20:10 (local time).

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 flights to Beijing from three to seven weekly connections.

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 solidifies the bilateral agreements reached during His Majesty 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, giving rise to numerous delegation exchanges between the two countries in the industrial, economic and cultural fields, he asserted, noting that 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.