Oneworld alliance carrier Royal Air Maroc is restarting a service to Beijing after the pandemic forced it to abandon the route just weeks after a previous launch attempt.
Royal Air Maroc opened the connection in January 2020 but withdrew after a few weeks as the outbreak of Covid-19 started disrupting long-haul air transport.
The airline says it will restart the service on 20 January next year, operating three-times weekly to the Chinese capital.
Royal Air Maroc will deploy Boeing 787-9s on the route.
The aircraft are configured with 302 seats in two classes including 26 in the business cabin.
Chief executive Abdelhamid Addou says the service is the first connection directly linking Morocco and China.
He says it is “mainly dedicated to the development of Moroccan tourism”, pointing out that the carrier expects 80% of custom will comprise foreign tourists.
“This route will also further consolidate economic and commercial relations between the two countries,” he adds.
Royal Air Maroc will also open a new transatlantic service to Toronto before the end of this year, with a thrice-weekly operation using 787s which will begin on 8 December.
