Royal Air Maroc launches tender for new aircraft to quadruple its fleet

Royal Air Maroc announced the launch of a tender to purchase new long and short-haul aircraft in order to quadruple its air fleet in the coming years, with a view to the important 2030 World Cup that Morocco will host together with Spain and Portugal. 

The Moroccan national airline's goal is to reach 200 operational aircraft in the next decade and the expected 2030 World Cup, in order to be able to handle a significant part of the air travel related to the Moroccan kingdom in the near future.

The CEO of Royal Air Maroc, Hamid Adou, confirmed the launch of this tender to acquire new aircraft as part of the strategy to service all passenger demand in relation to destinations in the North African country. 

The largest Moroccan company in Africa aims to quadruple the size of its fleet within ten years to reach 200 aircraft, with a focus also on the 2030 World Cup.

Flights operated by Royal Air Maroc connect some 50 airports in Africa with a fleet of 52 aircraft, most of which are Boeing.

Hamid Adou said earlier that the company's plan helps to achieve Morocco's goal of attracting 17.5 million tourists by 2026 and 26 million by 2030, as reported by media outlets such as Reuters and Rue 20. 

In addition to the upcoming attraction of the 2030 World Cup, Morocco is already a major tourist destination. The Moroccan kingdom already recorded a record number of tourists last year with 14.5 million visitors. 

The CEO of the Moroccan flag carrier himself announced last October that the company was looking to buy 200 aircraft to reinforce Royal Air Maroc's fleet, and the work and strategy are clearly along these lines. 

The Moroccan government last year embarked on a programme to increase the airline's capital with the aim of quadrupling its fleet by 2037.

Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch and CEO Hamid Adou initialled the agreement to increase Royal Air Maroc's fleet from 50 to 200 aircraft within a decade. The sealed contract also implied an increase in the state's contribution to the capital of the Moroccan state airline.

The Moroccan government also set out a comprehensive development plan for Royal Air Maroc and a strategy to improve its competitiveness and digitalise its services. The programme also included the opening of new international destinations to align with the strategic plans of the tourism sector and, in addition, a significant increase in connectivity between domestic destinations. 

As an example, Royal Air Maroc recently announced that it will start operating three new flights on 22 June. Coinciding with the start of summer, the Moroccan airline will launch flights linking Casablanca with Naples, Manchester and Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, as announced in an official statement by the company itself.

The launch of these flights is part of the company's plan to strengthen its network for the summer season. "With the opening of these new routes, the national airline reaffirms its ambitions to strengthen its positions in strategic markets, in line with its development strategy," the Royal Air Maroc statement said.

In addition, the Moroccan airline is looking to expand its African network to 27 destinations from Casablanca.