Royal Air Maroc Defends High Ticket Prices Amid Moroccan Expatriate Outcry

Mohammed Abdeljalil justifies the exorbitant ticket prices by the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and inflation on airlines. According to him, it is a global challenge, with airline tickets as practiced internationally having increased by 25% for the same reasons. Recalling that Royal Air Maroc (RAM) is one of the airlines that have been severely affected by the pandemic and its persistent repercussions, the minister said that the restrictive measures taken by Morocco, including the closure of airspace, have cost the national company more than 50 million dirhams, or 5 million dollars per day. "The pandemic was an unprecedented challenge" for RAM, he stressed. In a statement to the Le360 website, Mohammed Abdeljalil assured that thanks to the state’s intervention, the company’s situation has improved. The state has worked to preserve RAM’s financial balance.

These statements come after Moroccans residing in the United States criticized the rise in RAM ticket prices, a barrier to their return to the country. The price of a round-trip flight between the United States and Morocco is over $2,000, forcing some to cancel their travel plans. Others had to abandon Morocco for less expensive destinations. They were not the only ones to complain about the situation. "This price increase cannot continue. Our parents are already depriving themselves so that we can study abroad and realize our dreams, and now they are adding increases on flights. Incomprehensible and huge increases, especially since the service has not changed at all. The meals are still mediocre, as are the salaries," denounced Marwa T., a second-year Master’s student in Paris, to Hespress. The young woman took a Paris-Rabat, round-trip ticket for around 7,500 DH compared to 5,500 DH last year at the same period.