Royal Air Maroc has returned to profitability and is in growth mode once again as its prepares to take delivery of its first Boeing 787 later this year.
The Moroccan flag carrier, which has undergone a severe reshaping programme over the past couple of years, should achieve its third year of profitability in a row in 2014 with traffic growth hitting 9-10%, explains Habiba Laklalech, senior vice-president of RAM.
The carrier will take its first of four 787s in December where it will enter service on flights from Casablanca to New York and Montreal, says Laklalech. RAM will boost frequencies on both routes to double daily as the 787s complement its existing fleet of 767-300ERs.
A new route from its Casablanca hub to Dubai will begin in the first quarter when RAM receives its second 787. The carrier’s first route to Asia with services to Beijing will most likely come on line in 2016 when it takes its third 787, she says.
RAM’s 767s will remain in service with the airline as its 787s arrive with the extra capacity available to boost frequencies on its route to Sao Paulo in Brazil, says Laklalech. The 767s will also be deployed on its African network.
In September 2011 the state-owned airline was handed a government mandate to radically overhaul its operations to return it to profit.
This has seen it reduce staff numbers from 5,000 to 2,700, close all unprofitable routes, cut 10 aircraft from its fleet, including several 737-300s/-500s and Airbus A321s, and introduce a host of other cost-saving measures, explains Laklalech.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
