Royal Air Maroc (AT, Casablanca Mohammed V) has signed a lease agreement for six B737-8s from Dublin-based Avolon, marking the lessor's first deal with the Moroccan flag carrier, the companies announced in a joint statement on October 14.

Avolon said two aircraft, msn 43342 and msn 62878, have already been delivered, with the remaining four scheduled to arrive during 2025 and 2026.

According to ch-aviation data, both aircraft were previously operated by Qatar Airways. Formerly A7-BSG, the six-year-old msn 62878 is now registered in Morocco as CN-RHI. Three-year-old sister-ship msn 43342 was formerly A7-BSE and is now CN-RHJ. Both aircraft carry 176 passengers in a two-class cabin (168 in economy and eight in business class). According to ch-aviation data, Royal Air Maroc already operates ten B737-8s (including the two already delivered from Avolon).

The airline said the new jets will aid Royal Air Maroc’s long-term strategy to expand from a regional airline into a global connector, targeting 32 million passengers annually by 2037.

“This agreement represents a significant milestone in the execution of our 10-year growth programme,” commented Royal Air Maroc CEO Abdelhamid Addou. "These aircraft will enable us to strengthen our competitiveness and expand our network."

Avolon President Paul Geaney said the partnership reflects growing demand across Africa, where traffic is expected to rise more than 6% annually until 2044.

Royal Air Maroc operates a fleet of 58 in-house aircraft, also including twenty-eight B737-800s, one B737-800(BBJ), one B747-400, one B747-8(BBJ), one B767-300ER(BCF), five B787-8s, six B787-9s, one ARJ100, and four E190s, ch-aviation data reveals. It also wet-leases five ATR72-600s to Royal Air Maroc Express (RXP, Casablanca Mohammed V).