American Airlines’s new transatlantic routes show that the airline continues to think beyond the typical international destinations in Europe — to broaden its global reach.
American’s new seasonal service from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) in Casablanca, Morocco, not only marks the airline’s first-ever entrance into Africa, but makes it the only U.S. carrier offering nonstop service to Casablanca.
“As American’s trans-Atlantic gateway, Philadelphia plays an important role connecting customers traveling between destinations across the U.S., Europe — and now Africa,” said Jim Moses, American Airlines’ vice president of Philadelphia hub operations. “We continue to invest in our Philadelphia hub, adding service to seven new trans-Atlantic destinations and more than a dozen domestic markets in the past two years, while continuing to enhance the customer experience through new and upgraded amenities like our forthcoming Flagship Lounge.”
The route arrives as Morocco’s tourism economy is seeing above-average growth, at an annual tourist arrival rate of 6 percent between 2000 and 2018, compared to 4 percent for overall global tourist arrivals during the same period. In January of this year, The Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) announced that Morocco received 12.3 million tourists in 2018, up 8 percent from the previous year.
American Airlines has stated that it plans on partnering with Royal Air Maroc when it joins the Oneworld airline alliance in mid-2020. The partnership between the two airlines will allow for even more connections further into Africa to destinations such as Marrakech, Lagos, and Accra.
