Airport change in France costs Royal Air Maroc €10,000
A Kenyan passenger was travelling from Casablanca to Addis Ababa via France. Her transfer between Marseille and Paris cost Royal Air Maroc a €10,000 fine, upheld by the French courts.
On November 24, 2023, a Kenyan passenger arrived at Marseille-Provence Airport on a Royal Air Maroc flight from Casablanca. She was due to leave that same evening for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. But her next flight was departing from Paris-Orly. To make the connection, she had to travel through part of French territory, despite travelling without a Schengen visa.
On Bladi.net : Royal Air Maroc Fined €10,000 After Passenger Flies to Paris on Another Woman’s Passport
On July 18, 2024, the French Interior Ministry penalised the Moroccan airline, imposing a €10,000 fine for transporting the passenger without the required visa. Royal Air Maroc appealed to the Paris Administrative Court. Its argument was that the traveller was making a simple international transit, with a flight to Ethiopia scheduled for the same day she arrived in France.
In its ruling of October 15, 2026, the court noted a decisive factor: the passenger had arrived at Marseille-Provence, while her second flight was departing from Paris-Orly. This change of airport necessarily meant leaving the international transit area and entering France. The judges therefore upheld the €10,000 fine and dismissed RAM’s appeal.
Another Kenyan passenger, the opposite verdict
The Moroccan airline had, however, won a very similar case before the same court on June 11, 2026. Once again, a Kenyan passenger had left Casablanca for Addis Ababa. She had arrived at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle on March 7, 2024, with another flight to Ethiopia scheduled for that same day.
On Bladi.net : France Ordered to Pay Royal Air Maroc €1,500 After Wrongly Fining It €10,000 Over Transit Visa
In that earlier case, the connection could be made within Roissy’s international transit area. The court had overturned the €10,000 fine and ordered the state to pay RAM €1,500 in legal costs. Four months later, the change of airport between Marseille and Orly led the judges to reach exactly the opposite decision.
