Biggest airlines stops flights to Morocco
Morocco, Business, 10/29/1997

Liberty stated that it will stop its flights to Morocco and will close its branches in Casablanca to protest being denied the permission to increase its number of flights to Casablanca.

The company which was recently bought by British Airways said that the competition is very strong on connections between Paris and Casablanca and other Moroccan cities, which deprives it form having a strong presence in the North African region and which led to great losses. But aviation transport sources said that Liberty expressed its displeasure at being denied the permission to increase its flights from 3 to 4 after Air Maroc and Air France refused this.

Air Maroc and Air France have had a cooperation agreement since the 1950s which specifies the activities of each company on the Paris-Casablanca line. But in 1966 Liberty benefited from this agreement which made it possible for it to have three flights a week on the same line.

Liberty, which was founded by the Tunisian businessman Lotfi Balhasan, initiated a price war when it was launched in the North African region as it offered the tickets at half of the price offered by the national company which caused Liberty to lose 600 million francs before it was sold to the British Airways.

Air Maroc had earlier offered to buy some shares of Liberty but it changed its mind and let British Airways buy Liberty, which changed its activity to the area of Europe.

Previous Stories:
  Mass resignations in Moroccan opposition party   (10/22/1997)
  Middle East-European seminar postponed because of Israeli participation   (10/21/1997)
  UN delegation ends visit to Morocco   (10/18/1997)

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