The Moroccan flag carrier outperforms the Algerian airline in the comparison between both airlines

Marruecos-Argelia: Royal Air Maroc supera a Air Algérie

photo_camera PHOTO/REUTERS - Boeing 737 of CN-ROP Royal Air Maroc

Air Algérie, Algeria's main carrier, was aiming to overtake Royal Air Maroc, Morocco's flag carrier, but that is far from being the case. The air duel seems to fall on the side of the Moroccan kingdom. 

According to Maghreb Intelligence, the comparison between the two airlines of the two neighbouring countries is leaning towards the Moroccan side. According to Maghreb Intelligence, the Algerian leadership's desire to make Air Algérie a major airline in Africa, surpassing Royal Air Maroc, has fizzled out. 

Looking at Air Algérie's proposed destinations, the airline offers direct connections to only eight African capitals: Dakar, Tunis, Cairo, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou, Bamako, Niamey and Abidjan.

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In addition, most of these connections have very few frequencies. In addition to Dakar and Tunis, where it operates five weekly frequencies, often with difficulties, the Algerian national carrier operates one to two frequencies in the other countries, whose flights have a low occupancy rate, which negatively affects the company's results and profits, according to data collected by Maghreb Intelligence. 

Maghreb Intelligence exclusively reported that Air Algérie's recent announcement of the launch of new routes to Johannesburg and Libreville in March was an aspiration that quickly faded. This can be verified by checking the Algerian airline's website. Any search for a flight from Algiers to the South African capital or Gabon leads to flights with stopovers at best.

According to Maghreb-intelligence figures, the weekly flights operated by Air Algerie between its main hub in Algiers and African countries can be estimated at less than 68, i.e. 34 frequencies per week.

As for Royal Air Maroc, the Moroccan airline operates 262 weekly flights to African countries, i.e. 131 frequencies per week. With peaks in high season in Tunis and Abidjan (28 flights each), Dakar (20 flights), Cairo (16 flights), Conakry, Nouakchott, Bamako and Lagos (14 flights each).

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The Kingdom's airline is in an enviable position on the African aviation scene, after suffering the blow of the hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, which seriously affected the sector worldwide. Royal Air Maroc vice-president Amine El Farissi recently outlined in an interview with Atalayar the details of the airline's various objectives and status. "The objective is very clear. We have been hit hard by the pandemic from 2019 to 2021. It's been a very tough two years for us. We have been hit hard. Now, after this tough period, we are trying to recover to try to fully resume our development in certain markets, especially in the European, African and American markets. We lost 20 to 25% of our activity, and now we are trying to recover from this problem," Amine El Farissi told Atalayar. 

"As soon as we recovered from COVID, we introduced a new product, working on the whole chain, for example, we have new designs on the planes, we can see a new interior in the cabins and the uniforms of our workers and crew. We have new catering. We have renewed our image with the introduction of new wheels to improve the efficiency of the aircraft depending on the number of flight hours. In addition, we care about families, so we have implemented special promotions with better procedures to improve the stay once they have boarded. Among the improvements, we have also implemented a system where customers can choose the seat they want to travel in and change it at the last minute," added El Farissi about some of the benefits offered by the company. 

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Casablanca is Royal Air Maroc's strong point and serves as the main hub connecting Morocco with the rest of Africa and the world in general. "Casablanca is our main hub today and has been for more than 10 years, during which time we have been developing the airport into a hub for us. Casablanca is the perfect hub thanks to its geographical position. It is a strategic position that allows easy connection between the north and the south, and between the east and the west. That is why the company can offer flights and enjoy routes linking the African continent and the East with the rest of the world, such as Montreal, Washington, New York or Miami in North America, serving as a bridge to the Middle East, Africa and Europe," explained the Vice President of Royal Air Maroc.

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