Royal Air Maroc Selects the E190 for Strategic Development

Royal Air Maroc, the national carrier of Morocco, has decided to introduce the E190 as part of a fleet upgrade to open new routes and to increase the number of short and medium-haul frequencies from its Casablanca International Airport hub in Morocco. The airline has signed a lease agreement for four E-Jets with Aldus Aviation, the Irish specialist E-Jet lessor. The first E190 is expected to be delivered during the second semester of 2014.

Royal Air Maroc’s E190s will be configured with 96 seats, 12 business class seats and 84 economy class seats, in a dual class layout and will be deployed on European and West African routes from the national carrier’s base of Mohammed V International Airport, Casablanca, Morocco.

“Morocco’s geographical strategic position offers excellent potential for developing air links with Europe and Africa. With the E190, Royal Air Maroc will have the capability and flexibility to further develop its network with an ideal combination of frequency and seat capacity,” said John Slattery, Chief Commercial Officer, Embraer Commercial Aviation. “We welcome Royal Air Maroc to our family of E190 operators, all of whom have seen the potential of this proven and efficient platform to bolster their networks and complement their narrowbody jet operations.”

Royal Air Maroc’s aircraft will join a fleet of approximately 70 E-Jets already in operation within Africa and the Middle East with Egyptair Express, Kenya Airways, LAM Mozambique, Oman Air, Petro Air, Royal Jordanian, Royal Omani Police, Saudi Arabia Airlines, and Saudi Aramco.

“While testing the aircraft on wet lease during the summer 2013 we became convinced that the E190’s reliability and low operating costs will help Royal Air Maroc open new routes and increase frequencies to Europe and African cities,” said Mr. Driss Benhima, CEO of Royal Air Maroc. “The aircraft perfectly matches our needs in terms of size and range without any compromise on comfort or baggage capacity.”

“We are delighted to welcome Royal Air Maroc as a new client,” said Mr. Phil Bolger, Chairman of Aldus. “These are four aircraft from our 20 E-Jets order and we're looking forward to a long and fruitful relationship with this flagship African carrier.”