Royal Air Maroc has outlined plans to expand its fleet to 200 aircraft over the next 15 years, under a partnership programme with the country’s government. The programme covers the period to 2037. The carrier signed an agreement with the Moroccan prime minister, Aziz Akhannouch, on 11 July in Rabat, the capital. Royal Air Maroc has around 50 aircraft and the expansion would effectively quadruple the airline’s size. The partnership is intended to strengthen the role of air transport in the country’s economic development efforts, and support the government’s aims to be attracting 65m travellers by 2037. Royal Air Maroc says the agreement is a “historical moment” for the company and provides for a “visionary development plan”. The government says the Moroccan state’s participation in the airline’s capital “will be reinforced”, supporting its large-scale investment projects, as well as its efforts to digitise and improve service quality. Royal Air Maroc, which is a member of the Oneworld alliance, will open new international services as well as strengthen its domestic route structure. Casablanca airport will be developed as a “platform connecting major international hubs”, the government adds, with the aim of positioning it as one of Africa’s top three in terms of traffic and connectivity. Royal Air Maroc operates a fleet primarily comprising Boeing 787-8s and -9s, 737-800s and 737 Max jets, and Embraer 190s.<br/>
oneworld
Malaysia remains steadfast in its commitment to pursue truth, justice and accountability for the tragic downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17, said the Transport Ministry. In a statement commemorating the ninth anniversary of the downing of Flight MH17, it said the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Council, at its 228th session meeting on March 17, 2023, had decided to proceed with the hearing on the Settlement of Differences between the conflicting parties. “The verdict on the criminal case of the downing of Flight MH17 was delivered by the District Court of The Hague in the Netherlands on Nov 17, 2022. The conclusion marked a significant milestone in uncovering the truth and establishing justice for all 298 victims and their next-of-kin, including 43 Malaysians who were onboard. Nevertheless, the pursuit of justice does not conclude with this development.”<br/>
A Qantas A380-800 has suffered a pair of mechanical issues just days after being returned to service following a six-month cabin upgrade in Abu Dhabi. VH-OQI, which left the Victorville boneyard in January, saw two issues in the span of two days late last week, one of which forced it to return to London on a flight to Singapore. The A380 was en route to London (Heathrow) from Singapore as QF1 on 13 Jul, when it was forced to descend near Frankfurt due to an autopilot issue. Though it performed a safe landing at Heathrow, its subsequent flight – as QF2 back to Sydney via Singapore – had to divert back to London roughly two hours into the flight, as it crossed the border between Hungary and Slovakia, reportedly due to a problem with the navigation systems. The flight performed an overweight landing at Heathrow’s runway 27L, with crew advising it would use max reverse thrust and exit the runway at the last turnoff. VH-OQI had operated its first flight since the completion of its cabin upgrade only days earlier, flying without incident from Sydney to London via Singapore on 10 July and returning the following day. The news comes after another A380 from the national carrier made national news in December when it made an emergency landing in Baku while en route to London. The incident happened after a sensor light alerted pilots to the possibility of smoke in the cargo hold days before Christmas. The aircraft turned around above Tbilisi, Georgia, before touching down in Azerbaijan. Investigations later revealed no evidence of smoke, meaning the incident was due to a fault with the sensor and a false alarm. Qantas dispatched a recovery flight, which landed in the British capital on Christmas Day. <br/>