Royal Air Maroc compensation: which flights qualify
Royal Air Maroc (code AT) is Morocco's state-owned flag carrier. Its hub is Mohammed V airport in Casablanca and it has been a oneworld member since 2020. We have handled more than 150 Royal Air Maroc claims, mostly on flights to or from Casablanca from London Gatwick, Barcelona, Lisbon, Milan and Montreal. If a flight leaving Europe reached its destination 3 hours or more late, or was cancelled at short notice, you could be owed €250, €400 or €600 per passenger.
There is an important catch. Royal Air Maroc is a non-EU airline, so Regulation (EC) 261/2004 only applies to its flights departing from an airport in the EU, Iceland, Norway or Switzerland. Lisbon–Casablanca is covered; Casablanca–Lisbon on Royal Air Maroc is not. Flights leaving the UK fall under the UK's own version of the rules.
Delay
A flight from Europe lands in Casablanca, or at your final destination after the connection, at least 3 hours late.
3 hours or moreCancellation
Your departure from Europe was scrapped with less than two weeks' warning and no comparable alternative.
Under 14 days' warningBumped
At a European airport you were refused boarding on a full flight despite having everything in order.
Due on the spotNot covered
Flights departing Morocco or other non-EU countries, and genuinely extraordinary events such as severe weather or air traffic control strikes.
Non-EU departure or extraordinary eventUnsure whether your flight counts? Enter the airports and date and we will tell you in two minutes. Check your Royal Air Maroc flight.
How much Royal Air Maroc pays: €250, €400 or €600
Compensation depends on the straight-line distance from your European departure airport to your final destination, even if you change planes in Casablanca.
| Distance | Royal Air Maroc flights from Europe | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 1,500 km | Barcelona–Casablanca, Lisbon–Casablanca | €250 |
| 1,500 to 3,500 km | Milan Malpensa–Casablanca | €400 |
| Over 3,500 km | Barcelona–Montreal via Casablanca on one booking | €600 |
Each passenger has a separate claim. Three friends on a Milan–Casablanca flight that landed 4 hours late could claim €1,200 between them, and children with their own seat receive the same as adults.
Royal Air Maroc flight delayed: what to do
Delays are the main issue, behind 75 in every 100 Royal Air Maroc claims we handle. Much of the network is built around connections in Casablanca, so a hold-up at the hub spreads quickly. While you wait:
- Keep every boarding pass, including the one for your onward flight from Casablanca.
- Photograph the departures board showing the new time, and note when you actually arrive.
- Save emails and texts from Royal Air Maroc or your travel agent explaining the delay.
- Ask the Royal Air Maroc desk for care: meals, drinks and a hotel if needed. Keep receipts for anything you pay.
- Do not sign a waiver or take a voucher instead of cash before you know what you are owed.
Meals and accommodation
On covered flights Royal Air Maroc owes you care while you wait and, if departure moves to the next day, a hotel with transfers.
| Flight length | Care due after |
|---|---|
| Within 1,500 km | 2 hours' wait |
| Between 1,500 and 3,500 km | 3 hours' wait |
| Beyond 3,500 km | 4 hours' wait |
| More than 5 hours late | You can choose not to fly and have the ticket refunded |
Missed connection in Casablanca
If a single booking started in Europe, such as Barcelona–Casablanca–Montreal, and you reached your final destination 3 or more hours late, compensation is based on the whole distance. With separate tickets, only the flight leaving the EU counts. See our page on Royal Air Maroc delayed flight compensation.
Royal Air Maroc flight cancelled: what you are entitled to
Cancellations account for 19 in every 100 of our Royal Air Maroc claims.
Your choice: the fare back, or another flight to Morocco or your final destination.
Also owed if the cancellation was announced less than 14 days before departure and was not caused by an extraordinary event.
| When you were told | Outcome |
|---|---|
| 14 days or more ahead | No compensation, though refund or rebooking remain |
| Between 13 and 7 days ahead | Compensation due, unless the alternative left at most 2 hours early and arrived under 4 hours late |
| Fewer than 7 days ahead | Compensation due, unless the alternative left at most 1 hour early and arrived under 2 hours late |
New timings. If your flight to Casablanca is brought forward or put back by many hours a few days before departure, the EU Court of Justice may treat it as a cancellation. More on our page about Royal Air Maroc cancelled flight compensation.
Royal Air Maroc overbooking
Denied boarding makes up 7 in every 100 of our Royal Air Maroc claims. If it happens at a European airport, with a confirmed booking and on time at the gate, compensation is due immediately, plus a new flight. It is not due if you lacked the documents or visa required for your destination. Read our guide to Royal Air Maroc overbooking and denied boarding.
Strikes and Royal Air Maroc flights
If a flight from Europe is cancelled because Royal Air Maroc pilots or crew strike, compensation is normally due: the EU Court of Justice regards a strike by the airline's own employees as part of its business risk (case C-28/20). A walkout by European air traffic controllers or airport staff is an outside event: no compensation, but care and rebooking still apply.
Royal Air Maroc said no? Typical replies
The explanations that come up again and again, and how well they stand up:
True: for a non-EU airline, flights out of Morocco are not covered. We still check whether it was part of one booking that began in Europe.
Faults arising from routine fleet operation do not excuse the airline, except hidden manufacturing defects.
EU Court of Justice, case C-549/07A knock-on delay is not extraordinary in itself: Royal Air Maroc must identify and prove the original cause.
Royal Air Maroc staff: payable. Air traffic control or airport workers: not payable.
EU Court of Justice, case C-28/20What EU rules do not cover on Royal Air Maroc
As a Moroccan carrier, Royal Air Maroc does not owe EU compensation on:
- return flights from Morocco to Europe
- Moroccan domestic flights and flights between Casablanca and Africa, unless part of a booking that started in Europe
- flights from North America, such as Montreal–Casablanca, even if the trip continues to Europe
If an AT-numbered flight is actually operated by a European partner airline, the operating carrier's obligations apply instead.
Flights from London and Manchester
Since Brexit, Royal Air Maroc flights departing the UK, such as London Gatwick–Casablanca or Manchester–Lagos via Casablanca on one ticket, are covered by UK rules rather than the EU Regulation. The conditions mirror the EU ones, with amounts set in pounds, and complaints go to the CAA. Flights from Casablanca to the UK are not covered by either.
How to claim from Royal Air Maroc: yourself or with us
Royal Air Maroc takes complaints through an online form in the Claims section of its website, which issues a reference number. Your options:
No cost, but you chase a foreign airline on your own. If refused, you can turn to the national enforcement body of the country where the flight departed or the courts, at your own expense.
Fill in our form and sign online. We send the claim and formal demand and, if needed, sue with our own lawyers. You pay only if you are paid: 25% + VAT, leaving you €278 of €400. Legal costs are ours even if the case is lost.
Claim already rejected?
Forward us the reply with its reference number: if the refusal is wrong, we start with a formal demand.
What to have ready
- E-ticket and boarding passesFor every flight on the booking, connections included.
- Passport or ID cardFor each passenger.
- EvidenceAirline notices, photos of the board, receipts.
Deadline
The Regulation itself sets no deadline: the law of the country where you bring the claim applies, as the EU Court of Justice ruled in case C-139/11. Enter your flight date and we will check.
When Royal Air Maroc compensation arrives
If Royal Air Maroc accepts, payment usually takes a few weeks. If it refuses, a formal demand and court action add a few months. As soon as we are paid, we send you your share.
Lost or damaged luggage with Royal Air Maroc
Baggage is governed by the Montreal Convention, including on flights out of Morocco. If your case does not arrive after the Casablanca connection, file a PIR at the airport straight away and write to Royal Air Maroc within 7 days for damage or within 21 days of delivery for a delayed bag.
Royal Air Maroc contact details
- Head office
- Royal Air Maroc, Casablanca, Morocco
- Claims
- Online form in the Claims section of royalairmaroc.com
- Loyalty programme
- Safar Flyer
- Bookings and flight status
- Royal Air Maroc official website
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