The aircraft fuel crisis caused by the war in the Middle East continues to take its toll on the airline industry. This time, the impact reaches Barcelona airport, which temporarily loses a route to Tangier due to the rise in fuel prices. This is the connection that Royal Air Maroc operated until now from El Prat and which transported 83,580 people between January and April, 0.5% of the total passengers, according to Aena data.
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The airline, with 98% of its capital owned by the Moroccan state, has also suspended the flight between Tangier and Malaga, with 43,256 users in the first four months of the year. However, it maintains flights with Barajas, with 58,721 travelers in the same period.
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In total, Royal Air Maroc has halted 12 routes with Europe and Africa due to the rising cost of fuel. The airline stated in a press release distributed by the official Moroccan news agency MAP that it was forced to “take measures to adapt its international network” due to the “sharp increase in the price of kerosene, a direct consequence of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.” It also mentioned a decrease in demand on certain routes which, together with the higher fuel cost, make them unprofitable.
In addition to flights with Barcelona and Malaga, the suspension affects flights connecting Marrakech with Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, and Brussels. It also includes flights between Casablanca and several African airports, such as Bangui, Brazzaville, Kinshasa, Douala, Yaoundé, and Libreville.
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The company stated that it is closely monitoring the evolution of the international situation and committed to gradually restoring these routes as soon as operational and economic conditions allow.
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It thus joins the many airlines that have cut connections with low demand at a time when costs have soared. The main one, Lufthansa, with the cancellation of thousands of short-haul flights in some of its subsidiaries.
Several companies, including Ryanair, have also warned of a slowdown in demand for flying, which they try to stimulate with price adjustments on some of the most sensitive routes. However, they rule out a price war this summer. First, because companies cannot afford it. And second, because global capacity has decreased both due to operational cuts and the impact on the major air hubs in the Persian Gulf, the node that connects the Far East with the West.
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