Morocco’s flag carrier, Royal Air Maroc (RAM) is set to join the Oneworld airline alliance. This was announced at a press conference today.
Royal Air Maroc is expected to be fully integrated into Oneworld by mid-2020, and will be the first new airline to join the alliance in six years, since SriLankan Airlines joined in May 2014. It will also be the first African airline in the alliance.
Oneworld is currently the smallest of the three main airline alliances, with 13 full member airlines, and the addition or RAM takes it to 14. Skyteam is the second largest with 20 full members and Star Alliance takes the top spot with 27. The addition of an airline from a new continent will allow members of a Oneworld member airline’s frequent flyer program to make use of new routes, airport facilities and ways to both earn and spend mileage points.
Royal Air Maroc flies to 94 destinations with a mixed fleet of 55 aircraft. Its hub is Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, Morocco, and in 2017 the carrier flew 7.3 million passengers. The airline currently has orders for a single ATR 72-600 (which will be operated by Royal Air Maroc Express), along with four Boeing 737 MAX 8 and four Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
Matt is a Berlin-based writer and reporter for International Flight Network. Originally from London, he has been involved in aviation from a very young age and has a particular focus on aircraft safety, accidents and technical details.