CThe long-haul flight will be operated three times a week (Tuesday, Friday and Sunday) and will connect Shanghai-Pudong International Airport to Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, with a stopover in Marseille.
Flights from Shanghai will depart at 1:55 a.m. (local time) and land in Casablanca at 1:10 p.m. (local time), says Shine, a website under the Shanghai Daily, the largest English-language newspaper in eastern China.
Departures from Casablanca will take place at 5:10 p.m. (local time) for an arrival in Shanghai the next day at 4:50 p.m. (local time), adds the same source. The flights will be operated by “Boeing 787-9” type aircraft with a capacity of 285 seats, including 26 in business class.
This new route constitutes China Eastern Airlines’ second service to Africa, after the launch last December of a connection between Shanghai and Cairo, according to the China Daily. The launch date of this line is particularly timely in the run-up to the Chinese New Year, usually celebrated between late January and mid-February.
Also known as the Spring Festival, this event generates the largest population movement in the world, with millions of travelers moving within China and abroad. Relations between Rabat and Beijing have been particularly strengthened since the Kingdom decided, in 2016, to exempt Chinese nationals from visa formalities, making Morocco a popular destination for travelers from the Middle Kingdom.
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Shanghai, China Eastern Airlines is China’s second largest airline in terms of passenger numbers, with a modern fleet of more than 600 aircraft.
