Summary

  • Royal Air Maroc resumes direct flights to São Paulo, its longest-planned nonstop route.
  • Flights from Casablanca to São Paulo will be operated three times a week with the Boeing 787.
  • The Moroccan carrier is strengthening its long-haul network ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

The national carrier of the Kingdom of Morocco, Royal Air Maroc, will resume direct flights from Casablanca to São Paulo, strengthening connections between Africa and South America. This is the airline’s longest-planned nonstop route as it continues to grow its network ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Resuming direct flights to Brazil

Royal Air Maroc will begin serving São Paulo Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) from its hub at Casablanca Mohammed V International (CMN) on December 7, 2024. The service will be operated three times a week with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The resumption of this long-haul route marks the return of the Moroccan carrier to the South American market after over four years.

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787-8

Photo: Boeing

Flights from Casablanca will be operated on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, departing Mohammed V Airport at 16:40 and arriving in São Paulo at 20:30 local time. The return flights will run on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, departing São Paulo at 00:20 and arriving in Casablanca at 13:15 local time. The flights will be available for booking from June 12, 2024. Speaking about the flight resumption, Royal Air Maroc Chairman and CEO Hamid ADDOU said,

“We are very happy to resume the direct Casablanca-Sao Paulo air route suspended since the health crisis. It is part of our development plan and will strengthen our long-haul network and, above all, mark our return to the Latin American continent. This line will facilitate the movement of tourists and businessmen from both continents while meeting the expectations of European tourists wishing to plan combined trips in Africa and Latin America.”

The direct route between Brazil and Morocco’s financial capitals is in response to growing demand for business and tourism on both sides of the Atlantic. The service will support the Moroccan government’s ambition to grow the country’s tourism sector and increase connections to Morocco ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup, hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco. As such, travelers from Brazil and Latin America will have easier connections to the tournament’s destinations.

Related

Casablanca Airport Still Hasn’t Recovered From COVID-19 Despite 28% Growth

Moroccan airports handled over 27 million passengers in 2023.

Royal Air Maroc’s longest route

At 4,059 NM (7,517 km), Casablanca-São Paulo will be Royal Air Maroc’s longest nonstop route. It comes ahead of Casablanca-Miami at 3,755 NM (6,954 km) and Casablanca-Washington Dulles at 3,328 NM (6,164 km). Data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, shows that flights from Casablanca to São Paulo were last scheduled in March 2020. At the time, Royal Air Maroc also operated flights between Casablanca and Rio de Janeiro Galeao International Airport (GIG), a slightly shorter route at 3,930 NM (7,277 km).

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 787

Photo: Wenjie Zheng | Shutterstock

Casablanca-São Paulo is the second-longest planned route from Africa to South America, behind Ethiopian Airlines’ Addis Ababa to São Paulo route at 5,362 NM (9,931 km). The Ethiopian carrier operates daily flights between the two destinations. As of June 2024, there are four airlines with nonstop flights between South America and Africa, operating the following routes:

  • Ethiopian Airlines: Buenos Aires-São Paulo-Addis Ababa (daily)
  • TAAG Angola Airlines: São Paulo-Luanda (five weekly)
  • South African Airways: Sao Paulo-Johannesburg & Cape Town (twice-weekly each)
  • LATAM: Sao Paulo-Johannesburg (three weekly)

As of March 2020, Royal Air Maroc served both São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro with its Boeing 787-8 and 9 widebodies. According to ch-aviation, the airline operates nine Dreamliners, including five 787-8s and four 787-9s. Royal Air Maroc plans to quadruple its fleet in the next six years, operating up to 200 aircraft by 2030. Meanwhile, the Moroccan government plans to welcome 26 million tourists by 2030.

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