Royal Air Maroc Fined €10,000 After Passenger Flies to Paris on Another Woman’s Passport

It all began on August 2, 2023, at Paris-Orly Airport. A woman disembarked from a Royal Air Maroc flight from Casablanca. During an identity check, police discovered that her French passport actually belonged to someone else. Several physical features immediately caught their attention: the shape of her face and eyes, as well as her nose and lips, did not match the photograph on the document.

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France’s Interior Ministry then imposed a €10,000 fine on Royal Air Maroc in a decision dated July 11, 2024. The airline took the matter to court to have the fine overturned. Its argument? The differences between the two women were not visible enough for boarding agents to detect the identity fraud.

RAM disputed, in particular, the quality of the photographs used for the comparison. It argued that the conditions under which the traveler had been photographed did not allow the authorities to conclude that there was an obvious irregularity.

Physical differences RAM should have noticed

The Paris Administrative Court disagreed. In its ruling issued on October 1, 2026, it relied on the report drawn up by a police major at Orly. The physical differences observed were significant enough to show that the traveler was not the passport holder.

French regulations require airlines to check the documents passengers need to enter the country. An airline may avoid a penalty when the documents presented at boarding show no obvious irregularities. The judges found that this exception did not apply in this case.

Royal Air Maroc also requested, as a subsidiary measure, that the fine be reduced or waived. The judges found no specific circumstances to justify such a measure.

The €10,000 penalty therefore stands in full. The airline also lost its claim for €2,000 to cover its legal costs.