Emirates Adds Royal Air Maroc as New MENA Codeshare Partner

Interested in flying throughout the Middle East and North Africa? Your options just got broader, thanks to a newly-inked codeshare partnership between Emirates and Oneworld carrier Royal Air Maroc. Let’s take a look at the details.

Codeshare Details

For those who are unfamiliar, Emirates is not a member of any airline alliance. Instead, it operates based on a variety of individually-signed partnerships with other airlines. This includes names such as Japan Airlines, JetBlue, Korean Air, Qantas, TAP Air Portugal, and WestJet.

Codeshares allow an airline to sell tickets on another airline’s flights, thus allowing you to book a single itinerary and connect onwards to a destination that you’d otherwise be unable to reach. You’re also generally able to earn and redeem miles for these flights, though those are separately negotiated.

So it’s a big deal that Royal Air Maroc and Emirates are joining forces, especially as this means they’re adding a total of 209 combined destinations to each others’ networks. Emirates customers will now have access to far greater service within Africa, while Royal Air Maroc customers will be able to connect to plenty of Emirates destinations.

What Does This Mean for You?

As of yet, it’s not certain how this is all going to shake out for travelers, especially those who are looking to redeem miles. Codeshare doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be able to redeem points on a given airline, but it’ll be likely that you’ll have some access to award routes when the time comes.

This may open up some interesting options for those looking to get in on business class flights with Emirates, as well as those looking to redeem miles for business class flights to Morocco.

Currently, there are no cheap ways to fly Emirates business class; as it stands, one of your best bets is via Emirates itself, where a business class ticket can often cost upwards of 100,000 miles one-way. Emirates is a 1:1 transfer partner of every major transferrable currency, including American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Brex Rewards, Capital One Miles, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou Rewards, and Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 ratio, which means it’s not difficult to get those miles, but recent no-notice devaluations and an increase in fuel surcharges have made the program less attractive.

And vice versa, business class flights to Morocco are nearly always expensive, but Royal Air Maroc has no direct credit card transfer partners. Although you can redeem, say American Airlines AAdvantage miles (or other Oneworld airline miles) for these flights, having Emirates as a codeshare partner may give you another way into accessing these flights.

Hot Tip: Looking for inspiration on reward flights to the Middle East and Africa? You’re in luck with our handy guide: The Best Ways To Fly to the Middle East and North Africa With Points and Miles.

Final Thoughts

It’s great news that Emirates and Royal Air Maroc have signed such an expansive codeshare partnership. This allows customers to book single-ticket itineraries on a variety of new destinations, whether they’re flying Oneowrld carrier Royal Air Maroc or the non-alliance Emirates. And while we don’t have any information as to how redeeming miles may work yet, it’s good to see expanding options for both of these airlines.