Royal Air Maroc has signalled that it is preparing for an extensive fleet expansion possibly involving upwards of 50 aircraft.

The airline’s chief executive, Abdelhamid Addou, told FlightGlobal during a Oneworld alliance event in London that a formal request could be issued by June.

While he would not specify the precise number of aircraft involved, Addou said the carrier was seeking “many” – both long- and short-haul types – and signalled that the figure could be more than 50.

He says a “small number” would be taken for replacement, but that RAM was concentrating on expansion.

Casablanca-based RAM joined Oneworld towards the end of last year, becoming the alliance’s first African member.

It has been modernising with Boeing 787s – the carrier has five -8s and a single -9, and is taking three more -9s by the end of June, says Addou.

RAM is also introducing Boeing 737 Max 8s. The airline has a fleet of nearly 40 737s, primarily -800s, and also uses a handful of Embraer 190s. The regional subsidiary, RAM Express, operates a small fleet of ATR turboprops.

Source: Cirium Dashboard