Since March 26, the company has been operating the CDG-Marrakech route, which had been abandoned for ten years. Air France thus wants to benefit from the improvement in Moroccan tourism.
« 2017 is the year of Morocco for the Air France-KLM group », proudly announced Frank Legré, Africa director of the Air France-KLM group, on Sunday March 27, in front of the French consul and his guests, who came to celebrate the company’s return to the Red City.
A few hours earlier, Jean-François Girault, the French ambassador to Morocco and Mohamed Larbi Belcaid, the mayor of Marrakech, inaugurated with great fanfare the line which connects CDG to Marrakech, three times a week (Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays) with a 174-seat A320. A connection which has no longer been operated by Air France since 2007.
Facing low cost companies
This relaunch comes as Moroccan tourism is regaining color. According to the Travel Business/Atout France barometer, travel agencies observed a 39% increase in reservations in Morocco in December 2016. According to the Moroccan Tourism Observatory, 651,708 tourists visited the country in January, a figure up 10% year-on-year.In February 2017, Marrakech airport welcomed 319,888 passengers, an increase of 8.63% compared to last year. This progression is due in particular to the gradual introduction of low cost airlines such as EasyJet, Ryanair, Transavia France, Vueling…
Air France therefore wants its share of the pie. Its three weekly connections (which will be added to three others from July 15 to August 31) will have variable flight times depending on the day of the week (at 7:05 a.m. Wednesday and Sunday, and at 9:55 a.m. Friday), to increase international connections at CDG.
For Morocco, Air France is not only targeting the French. Frank Legré has often repeated it:“For this inaugural flight, we invited Russian, Canadian and Chinese journalists.” Remember that since June 2016, Chinese nationals can travel to Morocco without a visa. A measure decided by King Mohammed VI, who wants to attract some of the 130 million Chinese travelers.
A first TGV in sight
For its part, the destination is improving its infrastructure. The brand new terminal at Marrakech Menara airport, delivered last December, can now accommodate 9 million passengers, or 6 more than the previous one. Casablanca airport will also have a new terminal “in the coming weeks,” said Denis Hasdenteufel, North Africa director of Air France-KLM.
Finally, 2018 should see the arrival of the first Moroccan TGV which will put Tangier just 1 hour 20 minutes from Casablanca. The first of a high-speed development strategy with 1,500 km of new routes planned.
source: lechotouristique
