► MOROCCO: TAP Air Portugal boosts capacity to Marrakech, Casablanca from March.

For the upcoming IATA Northern Summer Season (from 31 March), Portugal's TAP (TP) will increase capacity on select Morocco flights with the delpoyment of the Airbus A319 aircraft on its flights to Marrakech and Casablanca.

►► SPAIN: Iberia to drop Cairo; to boost capacity to Casablanca, Algiers, Dakar, Nouakchott, and Malabo.

[UPDATE 30 JANUARY] Spanish carrier, Iberia (IB), has announced details of its new commercial and routes policies under the Transformation Plan it announced recently with various routes in Africa to be affected, for better and for worse.

►► DENMARK: Royal Air Maroc resumes Copenhagen, Stockholm, Berlin from March 2013.

[UPDATE 18 JANUARY] Royal Air Maroc (AT) has continued its expansion into Europe with the announcement of of the resumption of 3x weekly flights from Casablanca to Berlin Tegel, Germany via Copenhagen, Denmark.

► MOROCCO: Air Méditerranée to start 2x weekly Paris CDG - Casablanca ops from mid February.

Air Méditerranée (ML), the Jullian, France based carrier is to launch its third destination in Morocco - Casablanca, with 2x weekly flights starting 14 February 2013.

► MOROCCO: LCC market heats up with Ryanair, Jetairfly launching new bases, routes.

The Low Cost Carrier aviation scene in Morocco is set to heat up with news that Ryanair (FR) is to open two new bases in Morocco, Marrakech and Fez, its first outside Europe. In addition, Jetairfly Morocco (TB) is to launch various new flights to its growing Moroccan network which now counts 10 cities.

► MOROCCO: 5 year old dies on board Mauritania Airlines International flight to Casablanca; flight diverts to Agadir.

A Mauritania Airlines International (L6) Boeing 737-700 performing flight L6102 from Nouadhibou, Mauritania to Casablanca, Morocco, was yesterday forced to divert to Agadir's Al Massira Airport, Morocco, after a 5 year old passenger died following complications from a heart attack.

► LIBYA: (Pic) New Terminals for Benghazi, Misrata as Libyan Airlines moves to expand network in 2013.

The Libyan Ministry of Civil Aviation is to embark on two infrastructural improvement projects in the cities of Benghazi and Misrata as Libyan Airlines (LN) are to launch new regional routes following the delivery of their fifth and sixth brand new Airbus A320s in Misrata and Beiba respectively.

 

■ GUINEA: Etihad Airways to serve Conakry via codeshare with Royal Air Maroc.

Etihad Airways (EY), the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has announced it will establish air links between the UAE and Guinea, in West Africa, by extending its existing code-share agreement with Moroccan national airline, Royal Air Maroc (AT).

■ SENEGAL: Project to twin Casablanca and Dakar as regional cargo hubs progresses.

A project aimed at streamlining trade relations and partnerships between Morocco and Senegal could soon become a reality. A project, initiated by the Moroccan Airports Authority (Office National Des Aéroports (ONDA)) that could see Dakar Senegal becoming a possible cargo feeder hub to Casablanca's Mohammed V International Airport, is at last, moving forward, with an outline of the project now on the table.

►► LIBYA: Afriqiyah announces Paris, Casablanca, Rome, Khartoum, Dubai from December.

Libyan carrier, Afriqiyah (8U), has announced plans to launch various new routes ex-Tripoli and ex-Benghazi effective 1 December.

► CAPE VERDE ISLANDS: Royal Air Maroc to launch Praia via Guinea Bissau from 2013.

Royal Air Maroc (AH) will, from 7 March 2013, start direct flights between Casablanca and Praia, Cape Verde Islands using either a Boeing 737-700 or -800 aircraft. The return leg will operate via Bissau's Oswaldo Vieira International Airport, Guinea Bissau.

► GAMBIA: Vueling announces Banjul, Nador, Casablanca, Fez, Tangier from Summer 2013.

Spanish LCC, Vueling (VY), has announced services from Barcelona to Banjul, Gambia and Casablanca, Fez, Nador and Tangier in Morocco effective Summer 2013.

■ MOROCCO: Government looks to offload 44% stake in Royal Air Maroc to Gulf carrier.

Following on from our tweet last night, it does indeed appear that Morocco is looking to sell up to 44% of its shareholding in national carrier Royal Air Maroc (AT) to an as yet unknown Gulf airline.

► FRANCE: Air Arabia Maroc launches Casablanca - Toulouse from late October.

Moroccan LCC, Air Arabia Maroc (3O), will from 28 October 2012, start once weekly Sunday flights between Casablanca, Morocco and Toulouse, France, which will increase to a twice weekly service (an added Thursday flight) from mid-November onwards.

► MOROCCO: Air France introduces daily Paris Orly - Casablanca flights from 2013.

Air France (AF) will, from 31 March 2013, start daily operations to Casablanca, Morocco using an Airbus A318.

■ MOROCCO: Air France Industrie to outsource 100 jobs to Casablanca.

In a move bound to have serious repercussions in France and with Air France trade unions in particular, the maintenance wing of Air France, Air France Industrie, has announced it will outsource 100 out of the 450 technician jobs at its Croix-du-Sud Facility at Toulouse-Blagnac, to Morocco.

► MOROCCO: JetBlue, Royal Air Maroc sign interline deal.

After ending their 12-year-long code-share deal with Delta Airlines (DL) as their American code-share partner in June, Moroccan national carrier, Royal Air Maroc (AT),  has moved on and today announced the signing of an interline deal with American LCC JetBlue Airways (B6). 

The move will see a wider variety of flights being offered to each other's passengers, that were previously unavailable.

► UNITED KINGDOM: Air Arabia Maroc to start London Gatwick from late October 2012.

In a move that could be construed as one-upmanship, Moroccan LCC Air Arabia Maroc (3O) has tentatively announced that it will be starting flights from both Tangiers and Casablanca to London Gatwick airport, effective 28 October 2012 using an Airbus A320. There will be 5 overall weekly flights: 3 ex Casablanca and 2 ex Tangiers.

► SENEGAL: Angry husband calls in bomb threat to delay Royal Air Maroc flight to Casablanca; gets backtraced.

The Senegalese press is reporting a bomb scare on-board a Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737-800 as it was about to depart from Dakar's Léopold Sédar Senghor (Yoff) International Airport early this morning, bound for the Moroccan city of Casablanca.

► UNITED KINGDOM: Royal Air Maroc to resume London Gatwick flights from March 2013.

Moroccan national carrier RAM Royal Air Maroc (AT) will resume its discontinued Casablanca - London Gatwick service with a 3x weekly service from 27 March 2013. The Boeing 737-800 operated route will then increase to 10x weekly during Northern Summer 2013.