Royal Air Maroc

Royal Air Maroc is one of those airlines that does not show up at German airports every few minutes but reliably has its place in the schedule. With the winged star, the CN registration and a fleet that runs from the 737-800 to the 787-9, it offers more variety than you would expect at first glance. This page shows you how to identify the Moroccan airline reliably, how to tell its types apart and where to catch it best.

Royal Air Maroc at a glance

Royal Air Maroc is Morocco’s national airline and one of the largest airlines in Africa. It is majority owned by the Moroccan state, is headquartered in Casablanca and operates its hub at Casablanca Mohammed V Airport (CMN). Its roots go back to the 1950s: back then the two companies Air Atlas and Air Maroc merged, and in 1957 the company received the name it still bears today. At first it flew propeller aircraft such as the DC-3, with the DC-4 and Lockheed Constellation added later.

From 1960 the Caravelle brought the first jet, followed later by the Boeing 727, 707 and 737-200. Since then Royal Air Maroc has remained a Boeing airline – with a few exceptions among its regional and turboprop aircraft. By 2000 at the latest, the airline was deliberately building up Casablanca as a transfer hub: today many passengers fly from Europe via Casablanca on to West and Central Africa or across the Atlantic.

According to oneworld, Royal Air Maroc serves well over 80 destinations in around 40 countries and territories. Besides the Casablanca hub, Moroccan airports such as Marrakesh, Agadir, Tangier, Fez, Rabat-Salé and Oujda play an important role in the network.

Codes and registrations

• IATA code AT: appears in the flight number, on the departure board and in the ticket.
• ICAO code RAM: appears in the air traffic control flight plan and on many flight trackers.
• Registration prefix CN-: all Moroccan-registered aircraft carry it; at Royal Air Maroc it is followed by three letters, often starting with R.

The IATA code AT often confuses newcomers because it sounds like Austria. It has nothing to do with the country – IATA codes are purely airline identifiers, and the ISO country code AT is something entirely different. If you want to understand the logic behind the codes better, read the guide to IATA and ICAO codes. How registrations are built in general is explained in the article on understanding aircraft registrations.

A oneworld member

Since April 1, 2020, Royal Air Maroc has been a full member of the oneworld alliance. That made it the alliance’s first full member from the African continent. Its partners include British Airways, Iberia, American Airlines and Qatar Airways. Royal Air Maroc also has codeshare agreements with partners from the alliance.

The membership is visually interesting for spotters, too: Royal Air Maroc operates aircraft in the alliance livery, including a Boeing 737-800 (CN-RGJ) and a Boeing 787-8 (CN-RGB). Such aircraft stand out because the alliance design dominates instead of the usual airline look. You can find more on these liveries in the article on alliance liveries.

The fleet: almost all Boeing

Royal Air Maroc’s fleet has been growing noticeably for several years. According to Moroccan media reports, the airline passed the mark of 70 aircraft at the end of September 2026 – in 2021 it was still around 50. It is aiming for 74 aircraft by the end of 2026 and further growth in 2027. The exact number per type therefore keeps changing. The following overview shows the types you can expect at Royal Air Maroc in fall 2026:

Type	Use	Seats (business/economy)	Spotter note
Boeing 737-800	Short and medium-haul	12/147	Largest group in the fleet, also to Germany
Boeing 737 MAX 8	Short and medium-haul	12/144	Growing fastest, new aircraft keep arriving
Boeing 787-8	Long-haul	18/256	Shorter Dreamliner version, in service since 2015
Boeing 787-9	Long-haul	26/276	Longer version, in the fleet since late 2018
Embraer 190	Regional and short-haul	12/84	Smallest jet in the fleet
ATR 72-600	Domestic, at Royal Air Maroc Express	–	Turboprop, practically never seen in Germany
Boeing 767-300BCF	Cargo	–	Converted freighter, a single aircraft, recently not in active service

The seat numbers come from publicly available fleet overviews and can vary slightly by aircraft.

The Boeing 737-800 has been the workhorse since the late 1990s. The first examples arrived in 1998, followed shortly after by a few 737-700s, which are no longer part of the fleet. Royal Air Maroc took over the Boeing 737 MAX 8 from December 2018, and new examples have been added regularly since – in September 2026, for instance, CN-RHS as the fleet’s 70th aircraft.

On long-haul the airline relies on the Dreamliner: the first Boeing 787-8 arrived around the turn of 2014/2015, the first Boeing 787-9 in December 2018. In the same year Royal Air Maroc retired its last Boeing 747. Nearly all the jets come from Boeing. A few Embraer 190s from Embraer also fly, the first of which arrived in 2014.

Growth with an eye on 2030

Royal Air Maroc is pursuing a long-term growth plan that the airline agreed with the Moroccan state in 2023. The goal is a fleet of around 200 aircraft by 2037. An important driver is the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco is hosting together with Spain and Portugal. On top of that comes its role as a bridge to Africa.

For the expansion the airline has gathered offers from several manufacturers, including Boeing, Airbus and Embraer. Media reports named Boeing as the favorite at times and Airbus at others. A final decision had not been publicly confirmed by fall 2026, however. Until then the fleet is growing mainly through leased 737 MAX 8s and additional 787s. For you as a spotter that means: new CN registrations are added at short intervals, and it is worth checking the list regularly.

737-800 or 737 MAX 8? How to tell them apart

On European routes you will almost always see one of the two 737 versions at Royal Air Maroc. The livery is the same and the length almost identical – but a few details reveal the generation.

The engines are the most reliable clue: you can still make out the MAX’s serrated trailing edges on approach when shooting from the side with a telephoto lens. The winglet alone is not always enough, because some airlines retrofit their 737-800s. The guide Telling apart the Boeing 737 Original, Classic, NG and MAX gives an overview of all generations.

787-8 or 787-9? Length is the key feature

Both Dreamliner versions look very similar: same nose, same sweeping wings, same engine nacelles with serrated edges. The most important difference is length. The 787-9 is around six meters longer than the 787-8 and therefore looks noticeably more stretched. In photos, the distance between wing and tail helps: on the 787-9 the rear fuselage section is clearly longer.

If you want to tell Dreamliners apart from other widebody jets more reliably, the guides A350 or Boeing 787? and Telling apart the Boeing 777 and 787 will help.

How to recognize Royal Air Maroc

The airline’s trademark is the winged star. On top of that come the “Royal Air Maroc” titles on the fuselage. Older photos sometimes show earlier versions of the livery, which can matter when sorting your archive.

The second reliable feature is the registration. All of the airline’s aircraft are registered in Morocco and carry the prefix CN-. If you read CN- on the tail or rear fuselage, the matter is practically settled – other Moroccan airlines such as Air Arabia Maroc use the same prefix, but they fly an Airbus fleet with a completely different look.

Special liveries and soccer

Royal Air Maroc regularly shows special liveries. Besides the oneworld aircraft, a 737-800 (CN-RGV) has worn a livery for the airline’s 60th anniversary since 2017. The soccer designs are especially sought-after: for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco a 737 MAX 8 appeared in a special livery, and since June 2026 a 787-9 (CN-RGY) has been flying in the “Go Lions 2026” livery for the Moroccan national team, the “Atlas Lions.”

Such aircraft mostly fly in the normal scheduled network and can therefore turn up in Germany too – but not predictably. Alerts for individual registrations help here. You will find search tips in the guide Finding special liveries, and an overview of sports designs in the article on soccer special liveries.

Spotting Royal Air Maroc in Germany

In Germany, Royal Air Maroc is present mainly on flights to and from Casablanca. Regular destinations are Frankfurt and Munich; Düsseldorf was recently served seasonally. In Switzerland the airline serves Geneva and Zurich. On these routes it usually deploys a 737-800 or 737 MAX 8, occasionally larger equipment too.

Because Royal Air Maroc has only a few movements a day at German airports, planning pays off. The flights often have fixed time slots, which you can find in the airport’s departure or arrival schedule. In Frankfurt, depending on the runway direction in use, the Zeppelinheim viewing platform is a good choice; in Munich, the visitors’ hill (Besucherhügel).

How to follow flights in advance and read ADS-B data correctly is explained in the guide to flight tracking for spotters.

The subsidiaries: RAM Express and RAM Cargo

Royal Air Maroc Express is the regional subsidiary. It flies ATR 72-600 turboprops, mainly on domestic routes. Royal Air Maroc was the launch customer of this version, which is built by ATR, in 2011. You will practically never see these aircraft in Germany – for spotters they are more of a reason for a trip to Morocco.

RAM Cargo is the cargo division. It mainly markets space in the lower deck of passenger aircraft. It also includes a converted Boeing 767-300BCF freighter, which was recently not in active service. Catching such a freighter in Germany is accordingly a matter of luck.

Common mix-ups

• Mistaking AT for Austria – the IATA code AT is purely an airline identifier and belongs to Royal Air Maroc.
• Assuming every CN registration is Royal Air Maroc – Air Arabia Maroc and other Moroccan operators use the prefix too.
• Treating winglets as the only MAX feature – the engines with a serrated trailing edge are the more reliable sign.
• Logging 787-8 and 787-9 only by the type code on the board – check the proportions or the registration.
• Misattributing oneworld aircraft – even in alliance livery the airline name is on the fuselage, and the registration stays CN-.
• Equating the AT flight number with the operating airline – with codeshares, the ICAO code on the tracker shows who is really flying.

Conclusion

Royal Air Maroc is not an airline you see every day – and that is exactly what makes it interesting. Behind the winged star are two 737 generations, two Dreamliner versions, a growing list of new CN registrations and special liveries again and again. If you check the schedule, look closely at the 737’s engines and watch the length on the 787, you turn a rare sighting into a clean logbook entry.