São Paulo – Combined passenger traffic by Arab airlines at the São Paulo International Airport (GRU Airport) was up 27.7% in 2014 from 2013. Together, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc carried 564,956 travellers last year at the main Brazilian airport.
According to GRU Airport data, Emirates was the Arab airline that carried the most passengers in 2014, at 203,621 passengers (+1.5%). Qatar Airways carried 185,657 passengers (+1.3%), Etihad carried 150,187 (+168%) and Royal Air Maroc carried 25,491 (+820%). Importantly, Etihad began operating in Brazil in June 2013 and Royal Air Maroc arrived in November that same year.
In December 2014 from December 2013, Royal Air Maroc saw the most growth, up 86% to 3,278 passengers.
Mehdi El Yaalaoui, the CEO of Royal Air Maroc in Brazil, said passenger numbers soared year-on-year in December because the airline is better known now than when it first arrived in the country.
The Moroccan airline offers three weekly flights from São Paulo to Casablanca and back. According to the executive, “more Brazilians are flying to Morocco,” but some use the route to go to cities in Europe, and Europeans are travelling to Brazil with layovers in the North African country as well.
According to El Yaalaoui, Moroccans are also visiting Brazil in greater numbers. “Many Moroccans came to the World Cup,” the CEO said. He explains that on travelling to Brazil, Moroccans usually visit two or three cities at least. “They will often stay in São Paulo for a couple of days and then head on to Rio de Janeiro, Florianópolis, the Northeast etc.” Yaalaoui remarks that the Casablanca-São Paulo route is the airline’s longest, another reason why travellers stay in the country longer.
El Yaalaoui also says Royal Air Maroc’s codeshare agreement with Brazil’s Gol and Colombia’s Avianca allows Moroccan tourists to go to other Brazilian cities.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
