One Africa Royal Air Maroc

Travel Information

  • Posted By : oneafrica
  • Posted On : Oct 05, 2013
  • Views : 1067
  • Likes : 1
  • Category : Airlines
  • Description :
  • Location : Casablanca-Anfa Airport
  • Website : www.royalairmaroc.com

Overview

  • Royal Air Maroc

    Founded

    July 1953

    HubsMohammed V International Airport

    Focus cities

    Marrakesh Menara Airport

    Tangier Ibn Battouta Airport

    Paris Orly Airport

    Frequent-flyer program

    Safar Flyer

    Subsidiaries

    RAM Cargo

    RAM Express

     

    Fleet size

    46

    Destinations

    67

    Company slogan

    The wings of Morocco

    Parent company

    Moroccan Government

    Headquarters

    Casablanca-Anfa Airport

    Casablanca, Morocco

    Key people

    Driss Benhima (CEO)

    Net income

    Increase

    −MAD43 million (2012)

    Website

     

     

    www.royalairmaroc.com

    Royal Air Maroc (Arabic:

     

    الخطوط الملكية المغربية, Al-Khuṭũṭ al-Malikiyyah al-Maghribiyyah, literally Royal Moroccan Lines or Royal Moroccan Airlines; Berber: Amuddu Ugenna Ageldan Umerruk, MGGM), more commonly known as simply RAM, is the flag carrier of Morocco, as well as the country's largest airline.RAM is fully owned by the government of Morocco, and has its headquarters on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport. 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 America, and occasionally charter flights that include Hajj services.

    History

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    This section needs additional citations for verification.  (December 2011) 

    This section requires expansion with: much, much, much more information about events that took place before the 2000s. (December 2011)

    Early years

    Royal Air Maroc

     

    —Compagnie Nationale de Transports Aériens was formed in July 1953 as a result of the merger of Compagnie Chérifienne de'l Air (Air Atlas) —setup 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.[3] The fleet of the newly formed airline included six Bretagnes, four Commandos, five DC-3s and two Languedocs.[4] The name Royal Air Maroc was adopted on 28 June 1957, with the government of Morocco having a 67.73% stake.[3][5] The carrier's fleet comprised 16 aircraft by April 1958, including four DC-4s, three DC-3s, seven Bretagnes and two C-46s.[6]

    The jet age

    A Royal Air Maroc Caravelle at Dusseldorf Airport in 1973. The carrier ordered its first two aircraft of the type in 1958.

    In May 1958, the airline ordered two Caravelles.One of these aircraft was part of the fleet of four L-749 Constellations, four DC-4s and three DC-3s by April 1960, making the Caravelle the first jet aircraft operated by the company; the other Caravelle was yet to be delivered. Orders for a fourth and a fifth Caravelle followed in late 1964[8] and early 1968.[9] By 1969, all routes to Europe and North Africa were flown using solely these aircraft. In the mid-1970s, they were phased out in favor of Boeing 727s.[citation needed] Simultaneously, Boeing 707s were being introduced for longer or higher capacity routes and Original Series 737s for smaller routes. By the end of the 1970s, Royal Air Maroc was flying to Europe, North America, the Middle East, and finally North Africa.

    The 1980s

    RAM continued to expand in the 1980s. The airline joined the International Air Transport Association in 1982. New routes were opened and others expanded, while frequencies were increased and new aircraft were introduced.[vague] Boeing 757s were purchased in 1986 and eventually replaced the oldest 727s. The expansion of Casablanca Mohammed V airport in 1984 provided the company with a more modern base.

    The 1990s

    In the early days of the decade, the last of the 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.

    2000-present

    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 west and central African cities were opened.

    Royal Air Maroc Boeing 767.

    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.

    The future

    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.

    Corporate affairs

    Key people

    As of August 2013, Royal Air Maroc's CEO position is held by Driss Benhima, who took office in February 2006.

    Head office

    Royal Air Maroc has its head office on the grounds of Casablanca-Anfa Airport in Casablanca. In 2004 the airline announced that it would move its head office from Casablanca to the Nouaceur Province, near Mohammed V International Airport. MAP, the official state news agency, said that the construction of the headquarters and a 500 room conference hotel would take 1 year and 6 months.[15] The agreement to build the head office in Nouaceur was signed in 2009.

    Financial performance

    The carrier made a profit of MAD836 million (some US$83 million) for the fiscal year (FY) 2012, the best result in ten years. As part of cost-cutting measures that included the reduction in the number of employees by 1,974 between June 2011 and October 2012 and a fleet renewal program, among others, the net income for the same period was reduced to

     

    −MAD43 million from −MAD1.67 billion in FY 2011.

    Ownership and subsidiaries

    A Boeing 737-400 wearing a combined Royal Air Maroc/Atlas Blue livery in 2009. The Atlas Blue fleet was merged with the parent company's one in 2011.

    As of June 2013, the airline was fully owned by the Moroccan government, which has considered the privatisation of the company for about 20 years;[22] the latest plan, dating from late 2012, reportedly included selling up to 44% of the stakes to a Gulf airline. Royal Air Maroc has 5,719 employees.

    As of December 2012, The Group Royal Air Maroc had the following subsidiaries:

    Royal Air Maroc

    RAM Cargo

    Royal Air Maroc Express

    Atlas Aérotechnic Industries

    RAM Academy

    Former RAM subsidiaries include:

    Air Gabon International, formed in December 2005 as a joint venture between the State of Gabon and RAM, which held a controlling interest (51%). It intended to be the new Gabonese flag carrier.

    Air Sénégal International, created in 2000, had its maiden flight in 2001; the government of Senegal was the stockholder of 49% of the company and RAM held the balance at the time it ceased operations in April 2009.

    Atlas Blue: RAM's fully owned low-cost subsidiary. It was created on 28 May 2004,and started operations in July the same year. Based in Marrakech, it initially operated a single Boeing 737-400 that was transferred from its parent company and deployed on charter routes to France. Operations were integrated into RAM in 2009, while the fleets of both carriers officially merged on 10 February 2011.

    Atlas Catering Airlines Services

    Atlas Hospitality Morocco,a chain of hotels

    Matis, dedicated to the aircraft wiring industry

    Destinations

    Main article: Royal Air Maroc destinations

    Codeshare agreements

    Royal Air Maroc has codeshare agreements with the following airlines, as of December 2012

    Air France

    Air Nostrum

    Brussels Airlines

    Etihad Airways: RAM places its code on the Casablanca

     

    –Abu Dhabi–Casablanca route, actually operated by Etihad, as well as on flights operated by the Emirati carrier that radiate from Abu Dhabi and serve Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait and Oman. Signed in 2007, the agreement was updated in December 2012

    Emirates

    Iberia

    Royal Air Maroc Express

    Turkish Airlines

    Frequent flyer programme[edit]

    RAM's frequent flyer programme is called Safar Flyer. As of January 2013, cardholders can earn and redeem miles either by flying RAM, its direct subsidiaries, or its partner airlines Iberia and Etihad Airways; hotels and car rental companies offer benefits too.

    Fleet

    History and recent developments

    A Royal Air Maroc Boeing 727-200 Advanced at D

    üsseldorf Airport in 1993.

    A Royal Air Maroc Boeing 747-200B at Charles de Gaulle Airport in 1996.

    As of March 2013, Royal Air Maroc (RAM) operated an all-Boeing fleet. It was in 1969 that the carrier placed its first order with the Renton-based aircraft manufacturer, taking delivery of the first Boeing aircraft, a Boeing 727-200, in 1970.[43] In May 1971, the airlines's fleet comprised two of these machines, 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. In March 1975, the company had an aircraft park that was 11-strong, split into one Boeing 707-320, four Boeing 727-200s, four Caravelles, and two SIAI Marchetti SF.260s. Later that year, the airline acquired three Boeing 737-200s to replace the Caravelles, and placed an order for three Boeing 727-200s in early 1976.

    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, pending delivery of a Boeing 727-200 that was ordered in January 1980. 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.In July 1986, RAM was the first African airline that introduced the Boeing 757 into 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.

    RAM placed an order for nine Boeing 737 Next Generation in October 1996; the first of these aircraft the airline took possession of, in July 1998, was a Boeing 737-800, making the carrier the first scheduled one beyond the United States borders to take delivery of this model,[56] whereas it received its first Boeing 737-700 in April 1999.[57] In a deal worth about US$1.4 billion,[58] a new order for 20 Boeing 737 NGs plus two wide-bodied Boeing 767-300ERs was placed in March 2001;[59] the same year, RAM became a new Airbus customer when it bought four Airbus A321s.[60] In January 2002, the airline received its first Boeing 767-300ER.

    After the carrier's Board of Directors agreed to buy a number of Boeing 787s on 29 July 2005,[61] a memorandum of understanding for the acquisition of these aircraft was signed with Boeing on 31 July the same year. The operation, worth US$650 million and including five of these aircraft, was confirmed in early November that year, with the first machine initially slated for delivery in October 2008.The purchase contract was signed in December 2005, and also included an aircraft of the type on option.Following an over-US$100 million-worth contract that was signed in February 2006, these aircraft will be powered with General Electric GEnx engines. As of September 2012, the first Dreamliner is expected to join the fleet in December 2014.

    RAM was the launch customer for the ATR 72-600, when it took delivery of two of these aircraft, on behalf of its regional subsidiary RAM Express, in August 2011. The carrier had placed an order for four aircraft of the type in March 2009, along with two ATR 42-600s.

    Future plans

    In June 2013, RAM's CEO told that airline is seeking for new generation aircraft as a replacement for the ageing fleet, that the carrier will need 20 to 30 new aircraft by 2020, and that the Boeing 787 was being considered for long-haul routes, whereas the Airbus Neo, the Boeing Max, Bombardier CSeries and Embraers were all being considered for medium-haul flights.

    Current

    A Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737-800 at Marrakesh Menara Airport in 2013.

    As of August 2013, the Royal Air Maroc fleet consists of the following aircraft: