Royal Air Maroc aspires to become the true spearhead of an open and interconnected African sky.
Air transport: Gathered in Lomé on the occasion of the AFCAC Expo 2026, whose work ends this Friday, Moroccan officials in the aviation sector defended a vision based on the opening of the African skies, the development of continental connectivity and investment in new generation infrastructure in the service of regional integration.
Morocco reaffirms in Lomé its ambition to become one of the main air hubs on the African continent. Participating in the first edition of the African Air Transport Convention and Exhibition (AFCAC Expo 2026), Moroccan officials highlighted the Kingdom’s strategy aimed at strengthening intra-African connectivity, supporting the opening of the African skies and developing benchmark airport infrastructure. Supported by Royal Air Maroc, ONDA and the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, this commitment is part of the dynamics of the Single African Air Transport Market (MUTAA) and the desire to make Morocco a central player in the economic integration of the continent.
“Morocco is fully determined to develop its aviation in collaboration with brotherly African countries, through daily flights from Casablanca to 32 African capitals. This dynamic is expected to be strengthened within the framework of MUTAA,” comments Abdessamad Kayouh, Minister of Transport and Logistics. And to specify: “This initiative was the subject of discussions with African ministers, relating in particular to the modalities of opening African airspace to the countries of the continent.” According to the minister, this recognition strengthens Morocco’s determination to work for the opening of the airspace between Morocco and Africa, particularly with regard to air freight, for which the Kingdom is preparing by 2037, after the Royal Air Maroc fleet will have increased from 70 aircraft currently to 200 aircraft of different sizes.
RAM, spearhead of African air connectivity
In this intra-African dynamic, Royal Air Maroc aspires to establish itself as a true spearhead of an open and interconnected African sky.
This ambition was shared by Abdelhamid Addou, president and CEO of the national airline. Speaking during a panel, the official affirmed that the RAM makes the opening of African airspace and interconnectivity an essential priority by deploying a significant network around the strategic hub of Casablanca with a view to streamlining inter-African trade and catalyzing regional economic integration. “Under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, the national air transport company has invested enormously in the development of connectivity on the African continent.
RAM is currently one of the main players connecting Africa to Europe and the American continent,” says Mr. Addou. Referring to the reality of African air transport hampered by regulatory and fiscal obstacles and traffic rights, the President and CEO of RAM said that AFCAC Expo 2026 was an opportunity to highlight the need to harmonize regulations and reduce excessive taxes in order to boost air connectivity between African countries.
In this sense, he emphasized the fundamental role of RAM in achieving the objectives of the Single Air Transport Market in Africa, positioning the historic carrier as a central player in South-South cooperation and an essential vector of regional economic integration and the fluidity of trade on the continent.
ONDA, catalyst for African connectivity
Morocco’s commitment to the development of air transport in Africa was also highlighted by the National Airports Office (ONDA). “This commitment is reflected in the dynamic development of the Kingdom’s airport infrastructure,” indicates Adel El Fakir, Director General of the Office. And added: “This sectoral dynamic, carried out under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, constitutes a real guarantee of confidence in Africa and its potential.”
For Mr. El Fakir, this event constitutes a suitable platform to exhibit Moroccan know-how and the achievements accomplished in strategic areas such as airport engineering, management and development of the national airspace, improvement of the customer experience and the smoothening of the passenger journey in the Kingdom’s airports. “Through these structuring projects, Morocco shows that inter-African confidence materializes through large-scale investments which offer travelers on the continent modern infrastructure and high-level services,” explains the manager, noting that at the heart of this airport infrastructure development strategy is a major project to create, at the Mohammed V international airport in Casablanca, a new terminal designed as a true regional hub which will be entirely dedicated to Africa and to the exclusive service of the continent’s citizens, in order to optimize their connectivity and mobility. As a reminder, this first AFCAC Expo 2026 edition aims to boost the Single African Air Transport Market, an initiative launched by the African Union in 2018 to liberalize the African skies and strengthen connectivity between its countries.
