Royal Air Maroc: delayed, cancelled or overbooked flight — your rights

Was your Royal Air Maroc flight delayed, cancelled, diverted, or did you miss a connection in Casablanca? Depending on the direction of travel, the European regulation on air passenger rights may entitle you to compensation of up to €600 per passenger, or the Montreal Convention may cover your justified actual loss.

Royal Air Maroc is a non-European carrier (Morocco). EU Regulation 261/2004 only applies to its flights if they physically depart an EU airport (Paris, but also Brussels, Madrid, Marseille, Lyon or any other European city served towards Casablanca). Departing Casablanca towards Europe, the fixed compensation is not owed; it is the Montreal Convention that then covers the justified actual loss (hotel, meals, transport, but also a missed appointment or a lost non-refundable service, on supporting evidence).

Royal Air Maroc: am I entitled to compensation?

The direction of travel is the most important factor for Royal Air Maroc: unlike a European carrier, coverage is not automatic in both directions.

Royal Air Maroc in brief

• Country of registration: Morocco
• Main hub: Casablanca-Mohammed V
• Status under EU Regulation 261/2004: non-European carrier, covered only when departing the EU

Legal framework applicable to this flight

Two different texts may apply to a Royal Air Maroc flight depending on the direction of travel. Here is which one:

Royal Air Maroc refunds: ticket price vs compensation

Two different things are often confused. A ticket refund, with the option of re-routing, is owed by Royal Air Maroc as soon as it cancels a flight departing the EU. Where there is simply a delay of 5 hours or more, only the refund is available, and only if you give up the journey (art. 6(1)(iii) and art. 8(1)(a) of the regulation): what comes back is the price you paid. The fixed compensation under EU261/2004 (up to €600) is a separate right, which is added to the refund and does not depend on the ticket price, only on the distance and the direction of the flight. The two are cumulative when EU261 applies.

Royal Air Maroc delayed flight

Yes, you may be entitled to up to €600 if your Royal Air Maroc flight departs the EU and arrives at least 3 hours late, subject to the other conditions. The delay is measured on arrival (when the doors open), not at departure. In principle a delay of at least 3 hours recorded on arrival can trigger the fixed amount, with no need to prove financial loss, unless the airline demonstrates extraordinary circumstances: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 between 1,500 and 3,500 km, €600 beyond. On a flight departing Casablanca operated by Royal Air Maroc, the fixed compensation is not owed, but your actual costs can be claimed on the basis of the Montreal Convention.

Royal Air Maroc's excuses: valid or not

Valid excuses: extreme weather, airspace closure, air traffic control strikes, bird strike or debris on the runway. Even then, the airline must prove it took all reasonable measures to limit the delay.

Invalid excuses (compensation remains due if the flight is eligible): a technical fault on the aircraft, even an unforeseen one (Wallentin-Hermann and van der Lans, CJEU), the aircraft running late on its previous rotation, understaffing or internal organisational problems.

Royal Air Maroc cancelled flight

Yes, in principle, if Royal Air Maroc cancels your flight departing the EU and informs you less than 14 days before departure, you are entitled to the compensation per passenger, plus either a ticket refund OR re-routing, at your choice. These two rights are cumulative (art. 7 and art. 8 of the regulation). A travel voucher only replaces a cash refund if you accept it: you can refuse it and insist on a bank transfer.

Note: being told less than 14 days in advance does not always trigger compensation on its own. If Royal Air Maroc also offers re-routing at times very close to the original flight, it may escape payment in certain specific cases. See the three scenarios in detail.

Missed connection with Royal Air Maroc

Did Royal Air Maroc cause you to miss your connection in Casablanca? If your ticket is a single booking covering the whole journey, the delay is measured at your final destination, whichever leg caused it (Folkerts, CJEU 2013). Royal Air Maroc connects West Africa (Dakar, Abidjan, Bamako) to Europe via its Casablanca hub, so connections are frequent.

Because Royal Air Maroc is a non-European carrier, coverage depends on the departure point of the first flight in the single booking — not on the leg that actually caused the delay. This is the logic of the Folkerts ruling (CJEU, 2013): the delay is assessed at the final destination, and EU261 eligibility is determined by the initial departure airport.

Be careful: if you bought two separate tickets rather than a single booking, the protection is far weaker, as each flight is assessed independently.

Royal Air Maroc serves a significant number of destinations in Sub-Saharan Africa from its Casablanca hub, making it a frequent gateway for Europe-Africa connections: among others Dakar, Abidjan, Bamako, Conakry, Cotonou, Douala, Yaoundé, Libreville, Kinshasa, Lomé, Niamey, N'Djamena, Ouagadougou, Accra and several cities in North and East Africa. It is precisely this volume of connections via Casablanca that multiplies the cases of chained delays affecting the diaspora.

First-hand feedback: Casablanca's Mohammed V airport remains a reasonably-sized and rather pleasant airport to move through. One thing to know: security screening can happen in two stages, once at the terminal entrance and again before certain boarding gates, which can take time if you have a short connection. Another useful point: the airport is some distance from the city centre, and airport hotels are few and not always close by. On the other hand, a railway station serves the airport directly and lets you reach central Casablanca, or continue on to Tangier or Marrakech, at a reasonable fare: first class, only slightly more expensive, is well worth the extra cost.

Connecting in Casablanca: do you need a visa? For a simple airside or international-zone connection, no Moroccan visa is generally required. But as soon as there is a change of airport, a long stopover leaving the international zone, or an overnight stay outside, the rules depend on your nationality and can change without notice. Do not rely on what you were told for a previous flight: always check the up-to-date visa and transit requirements on IATA Travel Centre (Timatic) before travelling, whatever your nationality.

Royal Air Maroc overbooking / denied boarding

On an eligible flight (departing the EU), involuntary denied boarding (overbooking) opens the same rights as a cancellation. Article 4 of EU Regulation 261/2004 requires the airline to first call for volunteers before denying boarding to anyone. If you are denied boarding against your will, you are entitled to the fixed compensation (up to €600), plus care and assistance (meals, accommodation where necessary) and a refund or re-routing at your choice.

Unlike a cancellation, overbooking admits almost no excuse: it is a commercial decision by the airline, never an extraordinary circumstance.

Strikes and Royal Air Maroc flights

It depends precisely on who is striking and on the circumstances — there is no universal rule. A strike by Royal Air Maroc's own staff (pilots, cabin crew, ground staff employed by the airline) is generally not accepted as an extraordinary circumstance: the CJEU so held in Krüsemann, holding that an employer must anticipate this type of labour-relations risk. But the exact characterisation depends on the specific type of industrial action and on the facts of the case; compensation remains due if the flight is eligible and the airline cannot demonstrate an extraordinary circumstance specific to that case.

A strike by third parties outside Royal Air Maroc (air traffic controllers, airport staff not employed by the airline, a national general strike) may, depending on the case, be recognised as an extraordinary circumstance, provided the airline proves it took all reasonable measures to limit the impact.

How to contact Royal Air Maroc about a claim

Royal Air Maroc handles direct claims slowly, often without a reply for several months. Before writing yourself, keep your boarding pass, your e-ticket and any delay or cancellation notification: these are the documents that make the difference if the airline refuses or stays silent.

How long do you have to claim?

5 years before the French courts (art. 2224 of the French Civil Code) for the EU261 compensation, whichever of the situations above applies. 2 years for a claim based on the Montreal Convention. A Royal Air Maroc flight disrupted two or three years ago can still be claimed today under EU261.

Sources and references

• Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 — article 7 (compensation), article 8 (refund/re-routing), article 9 (right to care)
• CJEU, Krüsemann (C-195/17) — internal strikes, characterisation depending on the precise facts
• Montreal Convention (1999)
• Actual loss and supporting evidence: what is reimbursable outside EU261

How to claim with Robin des Airs

A specialist in the Africa-Europe corridors, Robin des Airs checks whether your Royal Air Maroc flight qualifies (direction of travel, actual operating carrier, distance, cause of the delay), builds the file, sends the claim and challenges refusals. Nothing to pay if nothing is recovered. You receive 75% of the sums recovered at the amicable stage, and 60% if the airline forces us to go to court.

→ File my Royal Air Maroc claim in 2 min