Rabat- Royal Air Maroc’s losses due to striking pilots could reach a record high since the European Court of Justice ruled May 31 that transit destinations must be included in delay-related indemnity that airlines are required to pay passengers.
Royal Air Maroc has cancelled more than 20 flights so far this week and delayed many more due to the firm’s pilots’ ongoing protests.
According to European transports law, when flights are delayed hours beyond the initial schedule, the responsible airline is obligated to pay financial compensation to wronged passengers.
The rule, according to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) applies to any airline—European or non-European—whose itinerary includes a European airport. The financial compensations per passenger are set at: €250 for short flights (1,500 kilometers or less), €400 for mid-distance flights (1,500-3,500 kilometers), and €600 for long flights (more than 3,500 kilometers).
Royal Air Maroc pilots called for a general strike earlier this month, protesting for improved working conditions, including higher wages, more holidays, and full health insurance coverage.
The costs of the pilots’ protests have already been significant for Morocco’s national carrier, with increasing delays and cancelled flights since the start of the strike on July 18.
But as the majority of this week’s cancelled flights featured a European destination—either as departure, destination, or transit—the company’s troubles are likely to increase if it does not find an agreement with its pilots.
Royal Air Maroc all too well knows the implications of the European law on flights. The firm lost out in a revealing dispute with Claudia Wegener, a German passenger, who had booked an RAM flight from Berlin to Agadir with a layover in Casablanca.
In Casablanca, however, the flight to Agadir was delayed more than three hours. When Wegener took issue with RAM management and asked for financial compensation based on the European transports law, she was told that the EU’s transports law did not apply in her case because Casablanca-Agadir is territorially outside of Europe.
On May 31, however, the ECJ ruled in favor of Wegener, arguing that the German passenger booked one single ticket that read “Berlin/Casablanca/Agadir,” as opposed to two separate ones. According to the ECJ’s ruling, as long as the ticket’s itinerary includes a European airport, the European law applies.
