On Thursday, Sept. 8, Royal Air Maroc officially launched its non-stop service between Washington Dulles International Airport and Casablanca, Morocco. The route will operate three times a week, flying on the airline’s new Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Air Maroc’s global hub in Casablanca is a gateway to the rest of Africa, connecting the U.S. to cities like Dakar, Nairobi, Lagos and more across Europe and the Middle East.

The airline’s new fleet of 787 Dreamliners has been redesigned for passenger comfort, with 256 economy-class seats in a 3-3-3 layout and 18 business-class flat-beds with adjoining seats and partitions in a 2-2-2 layout. Air Maroc’s new design also has better optimized cabin pressure for increased oxygen intake and an improved air purification system to filter out contaminants. The new aircraft is also more environmentally friendly than ever, built with a variety of lightweight metals and composites to reduce CO2 emissions.

Last night the inaugural flight landed in Dulles for the first time before it was greeted with a water cannon salute, which was joined by Mr. Abdelhamid Addou, chairman and CEO of Royal Air Maroc, “Royal Air Maroc is thrilled to launch the only non-stop service between Washington, D.C., and Casablanca. We are equally excited about deploying the state-of-the-art Boeing 787 on this important route; the spacious cabin interior allows our customers to move with ease and gives them a greater feeling of comfort. We look forward to welcoming guests on board as they travel to Casablanca and beyond across our global network.”

— Akhil Kalepu, digital coordinator