Atlas Blue

The budget airline phenomenon has expanded to Africa, with Royal Air Maroc, Morocco's national carrier creating a subsidiary to keep competitive in the no-frills market with their relatively new airline, Atlas Blue. The company was incorporated on May 28th, 2004 and flies to various points in Europe from principally Marrakech and Agadir, though some flights will make use of airports in Nador, Oudja, Tangier or Fes. The company didn't waste any time branching out its routes and already flies to cities in England, France, Italy and Belgium. The airline plans to expand even further in the future into the Dutch and German markets.

Atlas Blue is a young airline and as such has a similarly young fleet of aircraft. The majority of the fleet is comprised of six Boeing 737-400 jets, which have a capacity of 168 passengers. The airline plans to acquire two new aircraft per year to further expand its reach throughout Europe. As it stands now, Atlas Blue has two bases in Morocco, in Marrakech and also in Agadir, where flights leave regularly to domestic destinations such as Fes, Tangier, Nador and Oudja.

As an airline operating directly as a subsidiary to Royal Air Maroc, the sole intention is to offer budget fares to remain as competitive as possible in a market that seeks to streamline all aspects of the operation. With Atlas Blue routes, Morocco has never been more connected to Europe, and with the low prices the airline has helped generate a sizeable amount of traffic between Europe and Morocco. European cities serviced by Atlas Blue are Madrid and Barcelona in Spain; Bordeaux, Toulouse, Marseille, Nice, Lyon, Geneva, Nantes, Mulhouse, Paris and Lille in France; Milan and Bologna in Italy; Brussels in Belgium; and London, England. Atlas Blue takes bookings primarily online, but seat reservation is also available through call centres in each area of departure. Atlas Blue also works with selected travel agencies.