Royal Air Maroc Faces Backlash Over Soaring Ticket Prices for Summer Travel

"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 as mediocre, as are the toilets," denounces 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 dirhams compared to 5,500 dirhams last year at the same period.

This "phenomenal" rise in RAM ticket prices, on the eve of Eid Al-Adha, affects MREs even more, who often visit their families during the summer holidays. The latter express their discontent on social networks. Salma H., a Moroccan residing in Lyon, estimates the ticket costs at 52,000 dirhams for her, her husband and their five children, not counting travel expenses and gifts to give to their parents. "This year, we either have to completely cancel our trip to Morocco or come back empty-handed, which we don’t want," she complains.

With this price increase, it is impossible for Moroccans living in the United States or Canada to return to Morocco this year, as they will have to spend around 30,000 dirhams for a round-trip flight. "At that price, I could have bought a 10,000 dirhams ticket to Morocco, round-trip, and spent the 20,000 dirhams on site. Now I’m just not going back! Even my parents told me not to come. I prefer to go to Mexico. It’s next to Canada, it’s beautiful and it’s not expensive at all. It’s almost half the price, flight included and all-inclusive hotel," says Reda K., a Moroccan student in Canada.

For his part, the CEO of the company, Abdelhamid Addou, recalled that the price increase only concerns 15% of the tickets bought at a period of high demand and that 85% were sold at reasonable prices. The official says he is taking measures to stop the bleeding during the high season. The company plans to increase its fleet of aircraft.