Industry Royal Air Maroc to join oneworld alliance

During an official signing ceremony, Royal Air Maroc has welcomed to the alliance. Rob Gurney – oneworld CEO , Abdelhamid Addou – Chairman & CEO of Royal Air Maroc and Alan Joyce – Qantas Group CEO signed the documents. Over the course of the yearly board meeting, all 13 currently member airlines Chief Executives were present during the launch.

Royal Air Maroc will be the first full member for the oneworld alliance from Africa. The carrier is being considered as one of the fastest growing airlines and a leading carrier in Africa. In mid-2020, RAM will be implemented into oneworld. Simultaneously, the carrier´s regional subsidiary Royal Air Maroc Express will join as an oneworld affiliate member as well.

South Africa´s Comair has been an oneworld affiliate member since February 1999. However, RAM now will become the first full member from Africa. The carrier is also the alliance´s first new full member airline since 2012.

Royal Air Maroc CEO Abdelhamid Addou said: “Royal Air Maroc is excited and honoured to have been invited to become oneworld’s wings of Africa. We look forward to completing our flight on board speedily and smoothly so that we can offer the services and benefits of the world’s best airline alliance to our customers and across our own network as soon as possible."

With joining oneworld, RAM hopes to strengthen its position as largest unaligned carrier in Africa. The carrier seeks the strength of its airline partners to furthermore grow its business and to eventually expand its network with new routes.

oneworld CEO Rob Gurney added: “When we unveiled our new membership platform oneworld connect in June, we said that in the future oneworld would target as full members large airlines that have a significant presence in the alliance’s prime target market, providing connections between the world’s leading business centres.  Royal Air Maroc is growing into a truly global airline, with its home base Casablanca to be developed into Africa’s leading aviation gateway while also consolidating its place as Africa’s number one financial centre.”

With the addition, the alliance will see 13 million passengers carried annually across a network serving 121 destinations in 68 countries. RAM will add another 15 destinations and nine countries to the alliance network. Then, oneworld will have a total of 1,084 destinations in 187 countries and territories.