Moroccan airlines to quadruple its fleet before 2030 World Cup

Moroccan state-owned airlines RAM is speeding up its expansion as it plans to quadruple its fleet to 200 by 2030, seven years of a previously announced date.

RAM will launch a tender to buy the 200 mostly medium haul airplanes by year’s end, CEO Abdelhamid Addou told Reuters at the IMF-World Bank meetings in Marrakech.

He said the announcement of Morocco as a co-host of the World Cup as well as the increasing demand on Morrocco destination meant the market was propitious for such an expansion.

The expansion also meant a development of the Casabalanca hub to foster its position as a leading regional hub.

Most of RAM fleet is composed of Boeing aircraft notably Boeing 737-800.

Morocco’s tourism promotion plan aims to attract 17.5 million tourists by 2026 generating revenue of $12 billion and 80,000 direct jobs and 120,000 indirect.

Morocco is poised to break a new record in tourist arrival and revenue this year. At the end of September 2023, the number of arrivals stood at 11.5 million tourists, exceeding arrivals for the whole 2022 year.