Royal Air Maroc informations and photos

Royal Air Maroc (French pronunciation: ​[ʁwajal ɛʁ maʁɔk]; Arabic: الخطوط الملكية المغربية, al-Khuṭūṭu l-Malakiyyatu l-Maghribiyyah, literally Royal Moroccan Lines or Royal Moroccan Airlines; Berber languages: ⴰⵎⵓⵏⵉ ⴰⵢⵍⴰⵍ ⴰⴳⵍⴷⴰⵏ ⵏ ⴰⵎⵓⵔⴰⴽⵓⵛ, Amuni Aylal Ageldan n Amurakuc), more commonly known as RAM, is the Moroccan national carrier, as well as the country's largest airline.

RAM is wholly owned by the Moroccan Government, and has its headquarters on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport. It joined the Oneworld alliance in 2020.

From its base at Mohammed V International Airport, the carrier operates a domestic network in Morocco, scheduled international flights to Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America, and occasional charter flights that include Hajj services.

Royal Air Maroc—Compagnie Nationale de Transports Aériens was formed in July 1953 (1953-07) as a result of the merger of Compagnie Chérifienne de'l Air (Air Atlas) — set up in 1946 with Junkers Ju 52s — and Compagnie Chérifienne de Transports Aériens Air Maroc, that was founded in 1947 and commenced scheduled operations in 1949.

The fleet of the newly formed airline included six Bretagnes, four Commandos, five DC-3s and two Languedocs. These aircraft worked on routes previously served by the predecessor companies, and added the cities of Frankfurt, Geneva and Paris.

The name Royal Air Maroc (RAM) was adopted on 28 June 1957 (1957-06-28),[nb 1] with the government of Morocco having a 67.73% stake. Hajj flights commenced in 1957.

The carrier's fleet comprised 16 aircraft by April 1958 (1958-04), including four DC-4s, three DC-3s, seven Bretagnes and two C-46s. In May 1958 (1958-05), the airline ordered two Caravelles.: 101  In July, a number of long-haul routes were launched using four Lockheed L-749 Constellations leased from Air France, and the coastal Oran–Oujda run — which had been suspended in May — was reopened. Also in 1958, the carrier started flying to Gibraltar. The arrival of the Constellations enabled the airline to withdraw the DC-4s from service.

A single Caravelle was part of the fleet of four L-749 Constellations, four DC-4s and three DC-3s by April 1960 (1960-04), making the Caravelle the first jet aircraft operated by the company; another Caravelle was yet to be delivered. The type began serving the Rabat–Bamako route in July 1961 (1961-07). By 1964, there were three Caravelles in the fleet. A fourth was ordered in late 1964.

At April 1965 (1965-04), the company had 758 employees and chairmanship was held by Mohammed Al Fassi. The route network included services within North Africa, and also linked North Africa with France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Switzerland; the Casablanca–Dakar and Casablanca–Las Palmas sectors were also flown. Shareholding at the time was split between the government of Morocco (64%), Air France (21%), Compagnie Generale Transatlantique (7.6%), Aviacion y Comercio (5%) and others (2.4%). An order for a fifth Caravelle was placed in early 1968. By 1969, all routes to Europe and North Africa were flown using solely these aircraft.

In 1969, the carrier placed its first order with Boeing. Royal Air Maroc took delivery of the first Boeing aircraft, a Boeing 727-200, in 1970, with the carrier deploying it on revenue service on 15 May.

Subsidiary airline Royal Air Inter was formed early in 1970 to undertake domestic routes using Fokker F-27 Friendship equipment; this sister company started operations on 2 April 1970, and by May 1971 (1971-05), it was serving Agadir, Al Hoceima, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakesh, Oujda, Rabat, Tangier and Tetouan. The RAM's fleet at May 1971 (1971-05) comprised two Boeing 727-200s, along with four Caravelles and two SIAI Marchetti SF.260s. At a cost of US$8.85 million, a third Boeing 727-200 was ordered in 1972. In 1974, the carrier ordered a single Boeing 727-200 Advanced, followed by an order for a fourth Boeing 727-200. Also that year, negotiations with Air France for the lease of a Boeing 707-320B started. By March 1975 (1975-03), the Boeing 707 was part of an 11-strong fleet, along with four Boeing 727-200s, four Caravelles, and two SIAI Marchetti SF.260s. RAM flew the leased Boeing 707 to New York for the first time in April 1975 (1975-04), becoming the first Arab airline in serving this destination. During the year, the company acquired three Boeing 737-200s to replace the Caravelles. Also in 1975, a weekly non-stop service to Rio de Janeiro was started. An order for three more Boeing 727-200s was placed in early 1976. That year, the four Caravelles were withdrawn from service and sold. A Boeing 747-200B entered the fleet in September 1978 (1978-09).

By July 1980 (1980-07), Royal Air Maroc had 3,583 employees. At this time, the carrier's fleet consisted of a single Boeing 747-200B, two Boeing 707-320Cs, one Boeing 707-320, seven Boeing 727-200s and three Boeing 737-200s. Another Boeing 727-200, ordered in January that year, was still pending delivery. At a cost of US$16 million, an additional Boeing 737-200 was ordered in 1981, with the US Export-Import Bank arranging a US$5 million loan to secure the delivery, and RAM and private financers funding the balance. Delivery was slated for March 1982 (1982-03). During 1982, two Boeing 737-200Cs were ordered for US$33 million; deliveries were arranged for March and June 1983 (1983-06). Late that year, the airline joined the International Air Transport Association.

In July 1986 (1986-07), RAM was the first African airline to put the Boeing 757 in service. The first of these aircraft that was delivered to the company set a record for the type when it flew the distance separating Seattle from Casablanca, 4,910 nautical miles (9,090 km; 5,650 mi), non-stop.

In the early days of the decade, the last of the Boeing 707s was removed from the fleet. Meanwhile, newer, more efficient, Classic 400 and 500 Series Boeing 737s were introduced to increase the frequency of European routes. By the middle of the decade all 727s had disappeared. To consolidate its North American operations, Royal Air Maroc purchased a single Boeing 747-400. As the decade progressed, new routes to previously under-served African airports were opened.

With the increasing number of passengers and newly opened routes as well as increasing oil prices, there was a need to buy new aircraft. In 2000 an order for 20 Next-Generation Boeing 737 aircraft and 4 Airbus A321s was placed. Meanwhile, more routes to the west and central African cities were opened.
RAM was now changing, from providing flights to meet the demands of foreign tourists and Moroccan expatriates, to providing connections between European cities and African cities via the Casablanca hub. In 2002, the company leased two 767s to replace the single 747 in North American routes.

Morocco and the EU signed an open skies agreement in late 2006. This means that Royal Air Maroc will have to face tough competition from low-cost carriers eager to exploit profitable routes between Western Europe and Morocco. A further challenge arises from the high cost of kerosene and the fact that the company may have to drop some of its unprofitable domestic and international routes.

Royal Air Maroc became Oneworld's 14th member on 1 April 2020.

As of 2018[update], the airline is owned by the Moroccan government; 53.94% of shares are owned directly by the state, an additional 44.10% are held via the Hassan II Fund for Economic and Social Development. The remaining 2% are owned by private investors including Air France and Iberia.

The government has considered the privatisation of the company for about 20 years; the latest plan, dating from late 2012, reportedly included selling up to 44% of the stakes to a Gulf airline.

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