Airlines from China and Morocco reopen services, eyeing on tapping massive market potential with mutual visa-free policy

(Photo/Courtesy of Beijing Daxing International Airport)

Within three days, two airlines from China and Morocco reopened their flight services between China and Morocco, underscoring the market potential driven by a mutual visa-free policy.

On Tuesday, Royal Air Maroc flight AT230 landed at Beijing Daxing International Airport, signifying the return of its Beijing Daxing-Casablanca round-trip route.

This is the first African route since Daxing airport resumed international and regional routes in 2023.

This route is currently operated by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, with a capacity of approximately 300 passengers. The route operates three weekly round-trip flights.

The Casablanca-Beijing route is crucial to promoting tourism in Morocco, with international tourists anticipated to make up 80 percent of its passenger traffic, according to information Daxing airport shared with the Global Times.

Also on Sunday, Shanghai Airlines flight FM871, a subsidiary of China Eastern Airlines, carrying 237 passengers arrived at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca of Morocco, where it was welcomed by a water gate salute.

With the flight, Shanghai Airlines is the first airline to operate the Shanghai-Casablanca route, establishing a direct connection between Shanghai and Morocco. Shanghai Airlines will fly three times per week.

This flight stops in Marseille, France on both the return and return journeys. Passengers not going to Marseille do not need a Schengen visa or a transit visa. They only need to stop in the international transit area of the Marseille Airport.

Currently, there are only two airlines operating the routes between China and Morocco in January, one is Shanghai Airlines and the other is Royal Air Maroc, data was shared with the Global Times via VariFlight Wednesday.

Casablanca is located in western Morocco, on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest city in Morocco, as well as its largest port city, economic center, and transportation hub.

Morocco and China are the two countries with mutual visa-free policies for each other's nationals.

The number of Chinese tourists visiting Morocco increased significantly in 2024. In 2023, about 60,000 Chinese tourists visited Morocco. In 2024, this number exceeded 100,000, an increase of approximately 78 percent, Xinhua News Agency reported on January 16, 2025, citing local travel bureau data.

China includes more countries in its visa waiver program and improves facilitation measures, the arrivals of foreign tourists have kept rising.

Data from the National Immigration Administration showed that in 2024, the number of inbound and outbound travels by foreign nationals reached 64.88 million, representing an 82.9 percent year-on-year increase. Of this total, 20.12 million travelers entered China under visa-free arrangements, up by 112.3 percent year-on-year.

In December, China announced a further relaxation of its visa-free transit policy, extending the permitted period of stay for eligible foreign travelers from the original 72 and 144 hours to 240 hours or 10 days, with immediate effect.