Customer Profile When the king of Morocco, Mohammed VI, accepted the keys to Royal Air Maroc’s first 787 Dreamliner in January, it marked the beginning of a new chapter for the North African state’s national airline. It was the first time in the airline’s history that the king of Morocco had officiated at an airplane delivery ceremony—an indication of the significance that the 787, one of five that Royal Air Maroc has on order, will play in its future success. “The Dreamliners are integral to Royal Air Maroc’s expansion plans,” said Driss Benhima, Royal Air Maroc’s chairman and CEO. The airline’s first 787-8 serves on a route from Casablanca to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. Others are planned for extended operations to North America and South America. The 787’s two-class cabin configuration, with 18 businessclass seats and 256 economy seats, 38 Boeing Frontiers represents a 17 percent increase in total capacity for the airline and an expansion of premium seating, Benhima explained. Although a flight path to growth lies ahead, this was not always so for the airline, which has navigated through some congested skies. An open-skies agreement with the European Union in 2006 resulted in the entry into market of 44 airlines, leaving Royal Air Maroc facing competitive challenges at the end of the past decade. “We faced stiff competition on our European routes, particularly from low-cost carriers, which resulted in operating losses in 2010 and 2011,” Benhima said. The airline responded by restructuring its routes to shift more capacity to its hub airport in Casablanca. As a result, Royal Air Maroc achieved record operating profits in 2012 and 2013. The airline has a strong West Africa network that extends southward to Angola and serves every West Africa nation except Equatorial Guinea, with 31 destinations. Paired with its European network, which serves 32 destinations, the route structure positions Royal Air Maroc as an unrivaled bridge between the two continents. “The geographic position of our hub airport is a key strength for the airline,” Benhima said. Royal Air Maroc has a fleet of 53 airplanes, most of them Boeing variants, including Next-Generation 737s, 767-300s, a 747-400 and the 787 Dreamliner. Boeing’s relationship with the airline stretches back more than 40 years to the delivery of Royal Air Maroc’s first Boeing airplane, a 727-200. “We’ve taken delivery of 62 Boeing airplanes since our first one in May 1970,” Benhima said, “but none is more important to the airline’s future than the 787 Dreamliner.” n keelan.j.morris@boeing.com Photo: Royal Air Maroc’s first 787 Dreamliner takes off on a test flight late last year at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. The airline took delivery of the airplane in early January. Tim Stak e | Boeing Royal ascent Morocco’s flag carrier charts new path to success with delivery of its first 787 by keelan morris
Frontiers March 2015 Issue
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