Oneworld has announce that its newest member will be the Moroccan airline Royal Air Maroc. It will become the alliance first member from Africa, and will fill a hole in the overall oneWorld coverage.
There is a bit of a wait though. Royal Air Maroc is not expected to become a fully operational member until 2020. Until then, it is business as usual.
Royal Air Maroc
Based in Casablanca, it is largest unaligned carrier in Africa. In the last year, it has carried 7.3 million passengers on a fleet of 55 aircraft.
Its network extends from its Casablanca base to 94 destinations in 49 countries across Africa, Europe, the Middle East and North and South America. These destination include existing oneworld hubs in Doha, London Heathrow, Madrid, Moscow Domodedovo, New York JFK and Sao Paulo.
The Royal Air Maroc’s fleet based on a fleet of around thirty-eight Boeing 737s, three Boeing 767-300ERs and five Boeing 787-8s. There are also nine smaller ATR and Embraer jets operating regional routes. In addition, there are four 787-9s on order with the first due this month.
Benefit to Qantas Frequent Flyers
As with other oneworld members, Qantas Frequent Flyer will gain the ability to earn and redeem points with Royal Air Maroc. Those holding Qantas Frequent Flyer elite status will be able to enjoy perks such as lounge access and checked baggage when travelling with the Royal Maroc.