Ryanair vs Royal Air Maroc: the battle of the Moroccan skies

While many African countries like Tunisia continue to stifle competition for their own airlines, Morocco is allowing the Ryanair Irish low cost whose ambition is to dethrone the national airline Royal Air Maroc (RAM) in operating domestic flights.

Independent correspondent Simon Calder calls Morocco a “visionary” country. To support his argument, he points to the promotion of low-cost domestic flights and, above all, the opening up of Moroccan skies to competition. “I’m currently looking on the internet for a flight 24 hours in advance. I could get an 80-minute express flight from Tangier to Marrakech for the equivalent of £36. That’s pretty good for a last-minute flight.” Its neighbour, Algeria, offers equally good deals on the slightly shorter route between its two main cities, Algiers and Oran, on Air Algérie. In contrast, domestic flights in Egypt are generally three times more expensive.