UAE national carrier Etihad Airways has extended its codeshare agreement with Royal Air Maroc, the national airline of Morocco, providing customers with access to more destinations in Morocco and West Africa.

The new deal will allow Etihad passengers to travel from Casablanca to the Moroccan destinations of Agadir, Laayoune, Fez and Marrakech adding Nouakchott in Mauritania and Dakar in Senegal in the near future, said an Etihad statement.

In return, Royal Air Maroc will offer travellers access to Etihad Airways services beyond Abu Dhabi to Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Singapore, further complementing the partnership on the Casablanca Abu Dhabi route, it added.

James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ chief executive officer, said: "An important part of Etihad’s growth strategy is to offer customers access to as many global destinations as possible, whether this be through opening up new routes of our own or through strategic agreements with other airlines, adding breadth and depth to our network."

“The expanded co-operation with Royal Air Maroc will significantly enhance access to destinations for our customers flying beyond Casablanca throughout Morocco and to West Africa.”

Driss Benhima, chairman and chief executive officer of Royal Air Maroc said: "We are very pleased with the cooperation that has existing for several years with Etihad Airways."

“This new agreement confirms the confidence we have in each other’s operations and services, and helps meet our aims of enhancing the travel experience for our customers and providing them with new destination choices,” he added.