From left: MIA Director and CEO Lester Sola; Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jean Monestime; County Commission Chairwoman Audrey M. Edmonson; RAM CEO Abdelhamid Addou; Her Highness Princess Lalla Joumala; and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez cut the ceremonial ribbon
Florida’s only nonstop passenger service to Africa takes flight
MIAMI – Moroccan national carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) launched the first-ever Miami-Casablanca route on April 3, giving Miami International Airport its first passenger flights to Africa since the year 2000 and Florida’s only nonstop service to the continent.
“I offer my congratulations and thanks to Royal Air Maroc for making Miami-Dade County its first destination in Florida,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez. “Casablanca is one of the most historic, picturesque and influential cities in Africa, and we are proud to establish this groundbreaking connection between our two regions.”
The inaugural Miami departure was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and gate reception, which was attended by: Her Highness Princess Lalla Joumala, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to the U.S.; Mayor Gimenez; Miami-Dade County Commission Chairwoman Audrey M. Edmonson; County Commissioner Jean Monestime; MIA Director and CEO Lester Sola; RAM CEO Abdelhamid Addou; and U.S. Consul General in Casablanca Jennifer Rasamimanana. Attendees and passengers were treated to traditional Moroccan refreshments and entertainment.
RAM’s new service provides three weekly roundtrip flights between Miami and its Casablanca hub, where it offers dozens of connections to North African, West African and Middle Eastern destinations. The route is served with new-generation Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft configured to accommodate 18 business class and 255 economy class passengers.
“Royal Air Maroc’s Miami launch is one of the most significant milestones in the 90-year history of Miami International Airport,” said Sola. “We have long sought to re-establish nonstop passenger service to Africa, and to accomplish that with an airline and a destination of this caliber is even more rewarding.”
The Royal Air Maroc National Company, born in June 1957 following the merger of Air Atlas and Air Maroc, is Morocco’s largest airline. With a fleet of 55 aircraft and more than 90 destinations with regular frequencies, RAM connects Morocco to five continents. The airline is one of only 42 in the world certified as a 4-Star Airline by international air transport rating organization SKYTRAX.
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