• Royal Air Maroc signed a deal with DAE to lease 13 Boeing 737-8 aircraft.
• Deliveries are scheduled for 2027 as part of the airline’s expansion plan.
• The carrier aims to grow its fleet to over 200 aircraft by 2035.

Royal Air Maroc (RAM) and Dubai Aerospace Enterprise (DAE) Ltd said they have signed an agreement for the lease of 13 new Boeing 737-8 aircraft, as the Moroccan flag carrier continues to expand its fleet. The aircraft are scheduled for delivery in 2027.

“This agreement is fully aligned with Royal Air Maroc’s strategic ambition to become a leading global connector,” RAM chief executive officer Abdelhamid Addou said. He added that the Boeing 737-8 would strengthen network development by enabling new route launches and higher frequencies, while improving operational efficiency.

Unveiled in 2023, RAM’s expansion plan calls for a fivefold increase in fleet size to more than 200 aircraft by 2035, from around 50 currently. The enlarged fleet is expected to support network expansion through the opening of new routes and the densification of both international and domestic services. The airline aims to carry 31.6 million passengers per year, up from 7.2 million at present.

Royal Air Maroc is a central pillar of Morocco’s national air transport and tourism strategy. Under this roadmap, the country seeks to increase total air traffic to nearly 90 million passengers by 2035, from 36.3 million in 2025. Authorities also plan to raise the number of tourists to 26 million by 2030, compared with 19.8 million last year.

To support this push, Morocco is implementing an investment program to expand and upgrade airport infrastructure nationwide. One of the flagship projects is the construction of a new 20-million-passenger terminal at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, which is expected to lift the airport’s capacity to 35 million passengers by 2029.

Morocco is competing in this drive with countries such as Ethiopia, Egypt, and South Africa, which are also planning large-scale investments in airports and national carriers as they seek to position themselves as major aviation hubs in Africa.

Henoc Dossa