Farnborough, UK, Royal Air Maroc (RAM), the Moroccan national airline, today awarded Snecma (Safran group) a “by the hour” maintenance contract for its CFM56-7B engines, applicable until December 2018.

The contract will eventually cover 36 Boeing 737NG twinjets in the RAM fleet; the airline currently operates 26 of these aircraft. Maintenance services will be provided by the joint venture between Snecma and RAM, Snecma Morocco Engine Services (SMES), specialized in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the CFM56-3, CFM56-7B and CFM56-5B engines. The SMES plant is located in Casablanca.

Royal Air Maroc flies to nearly 70 national and international destinations. The contract with Snecma covers complete engineering support for these engines, as well as additional support for spare engines.

This exclusive long-term contract confirms Royal Air Maroc’s confidence in Snecma and satisfaction with its services. “The decisive factors in our choice were Snecma’s expertise, its local presence and its proven ability to provide optimized operational support for our engines,” said Driss Benhima, Chairman and CEO of Royal Air Maroc. “For Royal Air Maroc, this competitively-priced ‘by the hour’ maintenance contract will enable us to meet our objectives for engine dispatch reliability, while keeping our costs under control.”

Snecma, already the European leader in CFM56 MRO services, further bolsters its presence in Morocco with this latest contract. Building on its experience in CFM56 engine maintenance, Snecma was able to offer RAM an optimized contract that would enhance its competitiveness.

“We are delighted to be able to strengthen our partnership with Royal Air Maroc,” said Yves Prete, head of Snecma’s MRO division. “This latest agreement once again shows our ability to adapt our offering to meet the specific requirements of each customer.”

Snecma Morocco Engine Services (SMES) is a subsidiary of Snecma (Safran group), created in partnership with Royal Air Maroc. Based in Casablanca, SMES is specialized in maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for the CFM56-3, CFM56-5B and CFM56-7B engines, as well as auxiliary power units (APU) and other equipment.

Source: Press Release (Snecma - Safran group)