Air Algérie moves into Brazzaville while RAM pauses: what Morocco risks in Central Africa
Since 24 May, RAM has suspended Central African routes, four of which are still closed, including Brazzaville. Air Algérie arrives there on 26 October. Morocco keeps a clear lead on the continent, but a lasting absence could prove costly with friendly countries.
In short
- •Since 24 May 2026, Royal Air Maroc has suspended six Central African routes because of soaring jet fuel prices. Libreville and Bangui resumed at the end of July. Brazzaville, Kinshasa, Douala and Yaoundé remained closed.
- •Air Algérie opens Algiers-Brazzaville on 26 October (three flights a week) and Algiers-Conakry on 25 October.
- •Morocco keeps a clear lead in Africa, but the length of the absence is the real issue: a traveller who changes habits does not come back on their own.
The facts
RAM’s side. On 24 May the airline suspended its flights to Bangui, Brazzaville, Kinshasa, Douala, Yaoundé and Libreville, for cost reasons: the price of jet fuel. Libreville and Bangui reopened at the end of July. For the other four cities, the restart was pushed back to September at the earliest. In Congo, the Transport Minister met RAM’s new country director on 8 September in Brazzaville; at that date, no restart had been dated for Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire. RAM had also announced a direct Casablanca-Pointe-Noire route for late 2026.
Air Algérie’s side. The airline already serves around fifteen African cities, including Dakar, Abidjan, Bamako, Niamey and Nouakchott. It announces Brazzaville on 26 October and Conakry on 25 October, three times a week, then Lagos, Accra and Maputo, with no date yet. It was not hit by the jet fuel price rise: Algeria produces its own fuel.
| City | Royal Air Maroc | Air Algérie |
|---|---|---|
| Brazzaville | suspended since 24 May, restart not dated | opens 26 October |
| Kinshasa | suspended | not served |
| Douala, Yaoundé | suspended | not served |
| Libreville, Bangui | resumed end of July | not served |
| Conakry | served | opens 25 October |
Why this is more than a ticket issue
In Africa, an air route connects capitals, business people, students and diplomats. Morocco has made Casablanca the hub between West Africa, Central Africa and Europe, and that network supports its presence on the continent.
The countries concerned are not just any countries. Gabon and the Central African Republic opened consulates in Laâyoune as early as January 2020, and so did Guinea. When the route to a friendly country is interrupted just as another flag carrier moves in, the empty seat is noticed.
No source says Air Algérie is trying to compete with Morocco. But a national airline settling into capitals close to Morocco also serves its own country’s presence, whether it intends to or not.
Is Morocco losing ground?
Not in substance. Morocco’s relationship with these countries rests on much more than a flight: Moroccan banks established across the continent, fertilisers, investment, the training of thousands of African students in Morocco, the Nigeria-Morocco gas pipeline project. RAM’s African network also remains more than twice as dense as Air Algérie’s. And the suspension is about fuel costs, not a withdrawal: it has already been lifted for Libreville and Bangui.
The risk lies elsewhere, and it is real:
- •Duration. Travellers and freight forwarders who route through Algiers for several months form new habits. The longer the restart takes, the more effort it will take to win them back.
- •Image. In these countries, people remember who stayed and who left. Arriving during an absence hands an argument to the newcomer.
- •Nigeria. At the end of July, an official of Nigeria’s civil aviation regulator cited Air Algérie as an alternative to RAM, against a background of complaints about service quality. This is the signal to take most seriously, and it is fixed through service, not through competition.
What would restore the lead
- •A quick, dated restart of Brazzaville, Kinshasa, Douala and Yaoundé.
- •The announced opening of a direct Casablanca-Pointe-Noire route, linking Congo’s economic heart without a detour.
- •Flawless service on sensitive markets such as Nigeria.
Morocco starts with a head start in Africa. The challenge for the coming months is not to let a pause become a habit.
For travellers
If you travel between Europe, Morocco and Central Africa, check the restart date of your route directly with the airline before booking: schedules have changed several times since May. Your rights if a flight is cancelled are covered in our article RAM suspends 12 routes: what to do if your flight is affected. For RAM’s position against low-cost carriers, see our investigation.
Sources
- •Partial restart of Central African routes (Le360, 31 July 2026); extension of suspensions (Bladi; AeroRoutes, 30 July 2026).
- •RAM’s return to Congo (Journal de Brazza, 10 September 2026); Casablanca-Pointe-Noire project (Travel and Tour World, 12 May 2026).
- •Air Algérie’s new routes (ObservAlgérie, 22 August 2026; Visa-Algérie, 30 July 2026).
- •African consulates in Laâyoune (Telquel, 28 February 2020; Hespress).
- •Cover photo: Fawaz.tairou, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons. Map: Natural Earth.
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