ATR’s Chief Executive Officer Stefano Bortoli commented: “Seeing the launch customer of the ATR -600 series place a repeat order is a real source of pride for us, as it validates the enduring quality of our product and proves that it is the ideal solution to the challenges of regional connectivity in Africa. Royal Air Maroc is selecting an aircraft that offers a 40% advantage in fuel burn, the lowest operating costs and a modern and comfortable cabin, therefore buying the best value in the market.”
Abdelhamid Addou, Chairman and CEO of Royal Air Maroc said: “As we already are exploiting five ATRs, this ATR 72-600 will be added to our fleet in a smooth way. The aircraft is operationally proven in Morocco and offers our passengers a comfortable cabin. It is a good aircraft to complement our single-aisle fleet, and it will enable us to adapt even better our domestic and regional market capacity, offering more flight options to our passengers.”
Royal Air Maroc was the launch customer for the ATR -600 series and took delivery of their first ATR 72-600 in 2011. In the following seven years, ATR has delivered in total over 500 ATR-600 series aircraft, becoming the market leader in the regional segment thanks to its unbeatable economics, the widest and most comfortable cabin, operational flexibility, and state-of-the-art avionics.
In 2018 in the Africa region, ATR has delivered brand-new ATR 72-600s to Air Sénégal and Air Botswana. EWA Air and Royal Air Maroc will be the next customers to receive their new ATR-600s before the end of the year.
In terms of market outlook, Africa and the Middle East will require 350 turboprops in the next 20 years, to serve 300 new routes further developing regional aviation. Regional connectivity supports local economies, with a 10% increase in flights generating a 5% rise in tourism, an increase of 6% in local GDP and 8% more Foreign Direct Investment.