Royal Air Maroc Expands Routes, Plans Fleet Renewal Amid Growth Strategy

Abdelhamid Addou announced good prospects for Royal Air Maroc (RAM). The Moroccan airline will launch new routes in Europe and Africa and renew its fleet of aircraft. "We will reopen Abuja in Nigeria next June, a route that will be added to the one on Lagos. This is a first for this English-speaking country. N’Djamena in Chad is planned for next year. We will have to complete with East Africa and South Africa in the long run. This year, we will open Naples and Manchester and so on. Every year, we have a program of opening flights to Europe. We plan to add about 75 new destinations in Europe and about fifteen on the African continent over the next ten years," said the CEO of RAM.

The manager explains the preference for the Boeing manufacturer for the purchase of aircraft. "When you are a medium-sized company with about fifty aircraft, it is better to be with one and only one player, as it simplifies maintenance and pilot training. However, we remain open to proposals from other manufacturers such as Airbus," recalling having launched on April 15 an international call for tenders for the acquisition of new aircraft. "We plan to go from 50 to 200 aircraft. This big leap forward is dictated by our ambition to connect various African diasporas around the world, thus strengthening our position as a leader on the continent".

In this dynamic of rapid expansion, the airline is about to receive "12 new aircraft to support our new routes," said Addou, who remains focused on his goal of consolidating RAM’s leadership position on the continent. "We are not distracted by the actions of others. On the contrary, we are flattered to be considered a model," he said, regarding the "fierce" competition faced from Ryanair, Air Arabia and even Air Algérie. "We look ahead... We have very clear orientations that are carried at the highest level of the State to keep the course".

Royal Air Maroc has built its reputation over the decades and is not a member of the Oneworld alliance by chance. "We are part of these 14 member companies of this airline alliance [...] because we have a quality of products, a customer experience, an international stature. I’m not going to get into comparisons between one and the other. We are charting our course and we will get there," Addou said, assuring that the company’s current strategy "is based on the complementarity of the services we offer with