The Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has resumed a codeshare agreement with national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) aimed at expanding its reach in key African routes.
The agreement, which was signed yesterday, will allow Royal Air Maroc passengers to travel to Nairobi, Zanzibar and Johannesburg on the KQ network, the two airlines said yesterday.
The deal will also see passengers travelling from Marrakech and Casablanca to Nairobi use KQ.
A codeshare is a business deal between two or more airlines, which allows them to sell seats on each other’s flights and expand their network.
Each airline publishes and markets a flight under its designator and number as part of its schedule.
“This partnership strengthens our connectivity to the East and South of the African continent, thanks to a long-standing reliable partner, Kenya Airways. It will enable our passengers to reach Nairobi and Johannesburg, two important economic and financial capitals, as well as Zanzibar, a popular tourist destination," Royal Air Maroc CEO Abdelhamid Addou said in a statement.
KQ and RAM first started the agreement in 2016, before it was discontinued in 2019. The Business Daily did not immediately establish why the deal was temporarily halted three years ago.
The deal is coming at a time Royal Air Maroc currently operates three weekly flights to Accra (Ghana) from Casablanca and it will add three trips through its codeshare with KQ to Nairobi, linking Accra to Johannesburg (South Africa) and Zanzibar (Tanzania).
KQ currently operates seven weekly flights between Nairobi and Accra.
The new partnership will enable it to offer three flights per week to Casablanca and Marrakech via Accra.
“We are very happy to see this partnership reactivated as it will provide our travellers with improved connectivity options between our two hubs, Nairobi and Casablanca. Our customers will be able to enjoy the financial centre of Casablanca and the tourist destination of Marrakech.” KQ’s chief commercial officer Julius Thairu said.
