Royal Air Maroc get a new delivery

Royal Air Maroc is the flag carrying airline of Morocco and was founded in 1953. It wasn’t until 1960 though, when they introduced their first own jets. These were Sub Aviation SE-210 Caravelles and took passengers to places such as Paris and Rome. These were later replaced by Boeing 727s.

Royal Air Maroc has recently got their hands on some new jets, in the form of ATR 72-600s. These are relatively new planes on the market and only went into production in the second half of 2010. The ATR 72 is a short-hall airliner that seats up to 72 passengers a trip. Like Airbus, ATR manufacture in Toulouse and share a lot of technology with the aviation giant.

These planes have been introduced to boost the credentials and possibility of more internal flights around Africa for Royal Air Maroc. ATR ordered 4 of the larger sized ones, and 2 of the 42 seat variant, which will strictly fly internally. These are ideal for anyone on business or African citizens who want a safari holiday or change of scenery. Of course the 72 seat airliner will be able to cope bringing tourists and travellers from Spain and Italy, meaning new markets will be open for Africa Holidays and people who want to experience safaris and the rich culture of the continent.

The new aircraft have been interior designed by Italian Company Giugiaro Design, to lighten the seats and improve overhead cabin space. This has increased the comfort for passengers as well as making it less reliant on heavy fuel loads. Thales has developed a new avionic suite that features 5 screens and new navigatory systems and aids for the pilots. This makes these new ATR jets easier to fly and state of the art.

The CEO of ATR recently commented on the purchase, saying he was proud to have set a new benchmark in regional aviation. He also went on to say that these new planes will create new routes and a better experience to their customers.

ATR have received 180 orders so far for their new ‘600’ models, and the 72 seat model was recently granted its EASA safety certification. The 42 seat variant will receive one at the end of the year, as these plans are not due to go into service until the start of 2012.This gives Royal Air Maroc a fighting chance around the competitive domestic aviation industry in Africa.

This post has been written by Steve, a travel writer for Africa Sky and African safari enthusiast. Highlights of my travels include the Kenya safari I took, flying down on Kenya Air.