China’s Shanghai Airlines Adds Morocco Link

Shanghai Airlines is set to boost connectivity between China and North Africa with the launch of a new one-stop route to Morocco later this month.

Starting Jan. 19, the carrier will extend its existing Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) to Marseille Provence Airport service to Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport. Flights will operate three times per week using Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

Shanghai Airlines received approval from the Civil Aviation Administration of China in the third quarter of 2024 to operate up to five weekly flights on the Shanghai-Marseille-Casablanca route.

It marks the airline’s first service to Africa and becomes only the second link between mainland China and Morocco, complementing Royal Air Maroc’s flights between Casablanca and Beijing Daxing International Airport.

The planned launch follows the recent expansion of Shanghai Airlines’ parent company, China Eastern Airlines, into North Africa. In December, China Eastern commenced its first nonstop passenger service to the region, linking PVG with Cairo International Airport (CAI).

The 5,198-mi. (4,517-nm) route operates daily using Airbus A350-900 aircraft, competing with Star Alliance member EgyptAir’s 2X-weekly 787-9 service.

Once Shanghai Airlines begins flights to Casablanca, there will be about 28,100 two-way weekly seats between mainland China and North Africa, marking a year-on-year rise of 22% and up by almost 20,000 weekly seats compared with 2019 levels.