Royal Air Maroc (AT, Casablanca Mohamed V) CEO Abdelhamid Addou has confirmed that the airline has launched a long-awaited tender to buy new aircraft, Reuters reported.
Launched on April 15, the tender has not been made public, and Royal Air Maroc was not immediately available for comment to ch-aviation.
In October last year, the airline confirmed to ch-aviation that it was preparing the specifications of the request for proposals (RFP), which at the time was expected to be published by the end of 2023. This was later shifted to January 2024.
The airline confirmed its plans to quadruple its fleet by 2030 in preparation for an anticipated tourism surge during the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Morocco is one of three host countries alongside Spain and Portugal.
In November, Addou told ch-aviation that RAM was seeking to buy 200 aircraft with deliveries expected to accelerate after 2028. He said the tender would be open to all four manufacturers and that it would cover the entire batch of 200 aircraft, including the replacement of the existing fleet plus additional aircraft. He said RAM was looking for a mix of firm orders with options, and also both outright acquisitions and dry leases.
RAM already commenced boosting its fleet last year by securing wet-leased aircraft for delivery between April 2024 and January 2025. It has said this marks the beginning of a gradual development plan aligned with short and long-term objectives, including new route openings and the expansion of point-to-point routes.
According to the ch-aviation fleets module, RAM currently wet-leases three A320-200s from Electra Airways, Heston Airlines, and Nouvelair. Its own fleet comprises two B737-8s, twenty-eight B737-800s, one B747-400, five B787-8s, four B787-9s, four E190s, and one B767-300ER(BCF) freighter. RAM also operates the Moroccan government's fleet of VIP aircraft. Subsidiary Royal Air Maroc Express (RXP, Casablanca Mohamed V) operates six ATR72-600s, of which only two are currently in active service.
