Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has scheduled the Boeing 767-300ER to operate seven of its 10 weekly peak summer Casablanca-Brussels passenger flights. Because the carrier only has one 767 (a freighter), it’s unclear, as of May twenty fourth, from which operator it would lease the equipment.
RAM: each day 767 to Brussels
In accordance with Aeroroutes and confirmed in OAG/Cirium and RAM’s website, the carrier will use a 767 to Brussels from June twenty fourth to September third. With 144 roundtrip flights, it would complement RAM’s mainstay, the 737-800, on the 1,356-mile (2,182 km) route.
Based on what RAM has submitted, Cirium data shows that a 236-seat 767 shall be used, with 224 seats in economy and 12 in business. Assuming that is correct, the extra 77 seats versus the 737-800 and more intensive turnaround requirement has prolonged the turn time in Belgium from one hour (until July twenty third) to 1h 40m (from July twenty fourth).
(Aircraft withdrawn and now with Omni Air.) Photo: Soos Jozsef I Shutterstock.
The height schedule is as follows, with all times local:
- Casablanca-Brussels: AT838, 09:35-13:50 (three weekly, 737); AT832, 13:00-17:15 (each day; 767)
- Brussels-Casablanca: AT839, 14:50-17:15 (three weekly, 737); AT833; 18:55-21:20 (each day, 767)
Click here for Brussels-Casablanca flights.
767 to Saudi Arabia and the UAE too
Evaluation of Cirium data shows that RAM also plans multiple Saudi Arabia flights using the 767, presumably for pilgrim traffic. Routes are Agadir, Casablanca, Fez, Oudja, and Rabat to Jeddah, together with Casablanca, Fez, Oujda, and Tangier to Medina. Most operate in June/July and can use EuroAtlantic’s 309-seat CS-TST, a 20.6-year-old 767.
Photo: Roberto Chiartano I Shutterstock.
This doesn’t make clear Brussels or RAM’s 767 winter plans. Cirium and OAG show that the carrier has filed a twice-weekly winter Casablanca-Medina service (4 weekly at times), together with a twice-weekly Dubai service. A 236-seat 767 is listed, the identical as for Brussels. EuroAtlantic doesn’t have this config, so it’s either an error or RAM will use a distinct operator.
The 767 on Casablanca-Dubai is scheduled from October twenty ninth until March twenty ninth but will not be yet bookable. When added to RAM’s existing three weekly Dubai service, which uses the 787-8, evidently it’s increasing Dubai to 5 weekly. I’m sure things will turn out to be clearer in the approaching weeks.
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Where do Brussels passengers go?
Evaluation of RAM’s booking data for pre-pandemic 2019 suggests that the best variety of passengers were point-to-point: they only traveled between Brussels and Casablanca. Given the Moroccan diaspora, that shouldn’t be surprising.
More interesting, perhaps, is that an estimated 43,000 passengers transited RAM’s Casablanca hub across wider Morocco and West and Central Africa. The carrier is, in any case, structured for this market. Its hottest Brussels origins and destinations were Marrakech, Agadir, Conakry, Dakhla, Dakar, Oudja, Niamey, Abidjan, Banjul, and Nouakchott.
Image: GCMap.
Specializing in West and Central Africa, booking data shows it carried roughly 25,000 passengers to/from Brussels, about 7% of the whole market across all airlines. Perhaps surprisingly, RAM was only the sixth-largest carrier on this market.
Did you fly any of RAM’s now-retired 767s? In that case, share your experience within the comments.
