Royal Air Maroc Eyes West Coast Breakthrough: Confirms 2026 Launch of Casablancas Los Angeles & Second U.S. Route First Ever Direct Link to LAX
Royal Air Maroc is preparing to expand its transatlantic network with two new United States routes in 2026, according to industry sources. The airline plans to launch flights from Casablanca to Los Angeles, opening a brand new long haul market, and to resume services to Boston for the first time since 2020. Both routes are expected to begin in May ahead of the busy summer travel season, likely operating three times per week.
The move comes as more airlines introduce new transatlantic connections to Morocco. Delta Air Lines launched the first ever Atlanta to Marrakech service in October 2025, while Air Transat will begin flights from Montreal to Agadir next year. Elsewhere in Africa, United Airlines appears poised to end its Dakar route after less than a year, while Air Transat is preparing the first nonstop Canada to Senegal link.
Casablanca to Los Angeles would be one of Royal Air Maroc’s longest routes
The Casablanca to Los Angeles route has not yet been formally announced, so details such as the start date, flight timings and aircraft type remain undisclosed. The airline is expected to choose either the Boeing 787 8 or 787 9 for the service.
At 5,205 nautical miles each way, the flight would become Royal Air Maroc’s second longest route after Casablanca to Beijing Daxing. It would also be the only nonstop African passenger service from Los Angeles and the wider West Coast.
Los Angeles previously had African links through other carriers. Ethiopian Airlines operated flights via Dublin until 2019, and EgyptAir once served Los Angeles with Cairo New York JFK Los Angeles services. EgyptAir had planned to resume California flights in 2023 or 2024, but those plans were postponed. The carrier recently reaffirmed its intention to return to California in 2026.
Although the local Casablanca Los Angeles market is small, with roughly fifteen thousand round trip passengers annually, Royal Air Maroc will target connecting traffic. Cairo is the largest African market from Los Angeles with sixty four thousand passengers, followed by Lagos, Accra, Marrakech, Tunis and Abidjan. Depending on schedules, the airline could also attract passengers heading to Southern Europe, particularly Spain.
Boston route returning after four year absence
Royal Air Maroc previously served Boston between June 2019 and early 2020. According to US Department of Transportation data, the airline carried thirty one thousand passengers during that time but struggled with low seat occupancy, which often dropped to between 40 percent and 50 percent outside the peak summer season. The pandemic halted the service before it could establish itself long term.
The route operated three times per week on a 274 seat Boeing 787 8, a configuration likely to return in 2026. In 2019, flight AT210 departed Casablanca at 5:05 pm and arrived in Boston at 7:30 pm local time. The return flight, AT211, left at 9:15 pm and landed in Morocco at 8:50 am the next day.
Check: UPS Cargo Plane Explodes on Takeoff in Louisville
Record North American network expected for 2026
If Royal Air Maroc launches both Boston and Los Angeles, the airline will operate five US routes in 2026, two more than in 2025. With three weekly flights planned for each city, the airline would have thirty weekly departures to the United States next July, up from twenty four the previous year, representing growth of twenty five percent.
Including Canada, the airline will operate seven North American routes. These will be:
• New York JFK (double daily)
• Montreal (double daily)
• Washington Dulles (daily)
• Boston (three weekly)
• Los Angeles (three weekly)
• Miami (three weekly)
• Toronto (three weekly)
In peak summer, this will total forty seven weekly one way flights, compared to forty one in 2025 and just thirty three in July 2019.
Royal Air Maroc’s planned expansion highlights its growing ambitions in long haul travel and its intention to strengthen Casablanca as a major African and transatlantic hub.
