Royal Air Maroc is nearing a deal with Boeing for “dozens” of jets to renew its current fleet, though Airbus is also planning to get a smaller order of around 20 A220 aircraft from the airline, Reuters reported, citing industry sources.
The media outlet stated that the Moroccan flag-carrier has been in talks for “over a year” to renew its current fleet of aircraft, with the airline expected to stick with Boeing for the bulk of its needs, including orders for both the 737 MAX and 787. Reuters reported that the sources asked not to be named because negotiations are not public.
It has also been reported the Boeing part of the deal may include about two dozen 787s and as many as 50 737s.
While the fleet plan reinforces the carrier's ties with Boeing, sources said, the airline is opening the door to Airbus for the first time in almost 25 years with an order for the manufacturer’s A220 aircraft. Royal Air Maroc's only previous direct order for Airbus jets was for four A321s in 2001.
Last year the airline set out ambitious plans to double its fleet size by 2030 and quadruple it by 2037.
These new aircraft would come at a time of great change for Moroccan aviation, as the country plans to invest $1.56bn in building a new terminal building at Casablanca’s Mohammed V airport.
The Office National Des Aéroports (ONDA), Morocco’s national airports authority, said in March that this new terminal is expected to be completed by 2029, in preparation for the when Morocco co-hosts the FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal in 2030.
This new terminal is part of a wider initiative to modernise the country’s aviation sector, in which ONDA plans to expand Morocco’s primary airport hubs, including Casablanca which expects to handle up to 35 million passengers per year by 2029.