Morocco’s national carrier said the Airbus Group NV (AIR) superjumbo is in the running to replace its sole Boeing Co. (BA) 747, opening up the possibility of the A380’s first order based around flights for the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage.
Royal Air Maroc will issue an invitation to tender for the deal in the next three months, with the A380 likely to compete with the latest 747-8 version of the original Boeing jumbo, Deputy Chief Executive Officer Habiba Laklalech said today.
The aircraft eventually chosen will fulfill multiple roles, acting on occasion as a transport for the Moroccan Royal Family when not engaged in regular flights or shuttling visitors to Mecca, Laklalech said in an interview in Dubai.
Airbus is stepping up efforts to pitch the A380 for Hajj operations as it seeks to establish a new niche for a jet that hasn’t won a new airline buyer since 2012. While a Moroccan order would provide only a minor boost to the backlog, it could help establish the double-decker’s credentials as a viable year-round proposition beyond the week-long pilgrimage itself.
Royal Air Maroc, which competes with Air France-KLM Group (AF) on routes linking Europe with Africa, will also issue proposals for single-aisle planes in 2015, with the re-engined Boeing 737 Max and Airbus A320neo likely to lead the way, Laklalech said.
The aircraft would be used on flights to Europe and on RAM’s burgeoning route network from West Africa to its hub in Casablanca, which has seen it become one of the few airlines from outside the region to carry on serving states hit by Ebola.
100-Seaters
All told, RAM aims to expand its fleet from 47 planes to 105 by 2025, among them 13 wide-bodies including the 747 replacement and five Boeing 787s already ordered.
The narrow-body fleet will number about 85 planes, Laklalech said, with some scope for smaller 100-seat models to aid route development, she said, without indicating whether that could involve regional jets such as the Bombardier Inc. (BBD/B)CSeries or Embraer SA (ERJ) E-Jet family.
RAM’s first two 787 Dreamliners are due to arrive in December and March, the executive said. Deployment plans for the all-composite jet are focused mainly on trans-Atlantic routes.
The carrier will post a profit this year, Laklalech said, even as it comes under pressure from a so-called open skies agreement that permits 44 European airlines to fly to Morocco.
Flights to the Nigerian capital Abuja will commence next month and a 30-minute service between Tangier and Gibraltar starts in March, with studies underway on further options.
“We would like to strengthen our main routes,” Laklalech said. “We will add more connection possibilities between West Africaand Europe and strengthen our presence in America.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Deena Kamel Yousef in Dubai at dhussein1@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Benedikt Kammel at bkammel@bloomberg.net
Christopher Jasper
