The first-ever nonstop flight between the West Coast of America and Africa will launch in 2026, it has been announced.
The new 11-hour service will be operated by Royal Air Maroc and will link Los Angeles (LAX) and Casablanca in Morocco.
Currently, services between the West Coast of the U.S. and the continent involve a stop in Europe or America's East Coast and often take over 20 hours.
Royal Air Maroc said that the three-times-per-week air link represents a major step forward in the expansion of its long-haul network and is a response to growing intercontinental travel demand ahead of the Fifa World Cup 2026.
The service, operated by Boeing 787 Dreamliners, will begin on Sunday, June 7, 2026, departing from LAX at 10.20 a.m. and arriving at 5.25 a.m. the following day.
The flight from Casablanca departs at 4 a.m. and arrives at 8.20 a.m. the next day in Los Angeles, with the city’s SoFi Stadium the venue for the USA’s opener against Paraguay on Saturday, June 13.
Tickets are on sale now for the new service via royalairmaroc.com, with round-trip economy class tickets starting at approximately $845.
"This direct route to Los Angeles is much more than a new destination, it marks a historic milestone for Royal Air Maroc and for air connectivity across the African continent," said Hamid Addou, Chairman and CEO of Royal Air Maroc.
"It embodies our ambition to bring Morocco closer to major global economic, tourism, and cultural hubs while supporting the Kingdom's momentum of global engagement.
“As a key player in tourism, Royal Air Maroc contributes to strengthening the visibility of Morocco in the U.S., one of the largest outbound travel markets."
The only other carrier to connect the U.S. West Coast with Africa was Ethiopian Airlines, which ran services between Los Angeles and Addis Ababa. But these went via stops in Dublin or Lomé, Togo, and were discontinued in 2019.
Travelers arriving in Casablanca will discover a cosmopolitan city with Art Deco boulevards, grand civic buildings, and one of the largest mosques in the world — the Hassan II Mosque, which dramatically overhangs the Atlantic Ocean and has a minaret that soars to a height of 690ft.
Another highlight is the Old Medina, a bewitching maze of souks and stalls selling everything from spices and street food to leather handbags, belts and wallets.
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