Aviation Capital Group LLC (ACG) has completed a six-aircraft lease transaction with Compagnie Nationale Royal Air Maroc, delivering the final Boeing 737-8 to the Moroccan flag carrier on October 5, 2026.

The handover concludes an orderbook commitment initiated in March 2026, with all six CFM LEAP-1B-powered narrowbodies delivered within a six-month window. Announced in a press release by the Newport Beach, California-based lessor, the transaction provides immediate capacity for Royal Air Maroc as the airline executes a government-backed fleet expansion strategy ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

Executing the six-aircraft commitment

The delivery sequence began on March 31, 2026, when ACG announced the handover of the first Boeing 737-8 to Royal Air Maroc. Meeting the delivery schedule required coordination between the lessor, the airline, and The Boeing Company to ensure all six airframes entered service efficiently.

Carter A. White, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of ACG, highlighted the operational coordination required to meet the timeline.

“With this latest delivery, ACG marks the addition of the sixth 737-8 to Royal Air Maroc’s fleet in six months, a fantastic achievement by everyone involved,” White said in a statement. “We are proud to support the airline’s ongoing fleet renewal and expansion plans and wish the Royal Air Maroc team every success with these new aircraft.”

The transaction adds to the portfolio of ACG, a global full-service aircraft asset manager founded in 1989 and operating as a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo Century Corporation. As of June 30, 2026, the lessor managed, owned, or had commitments for approximately 500 aircraft. These assets are distributed across roughly 85 airlines in about 50 countries.

Royal Air Maroc’s Vision 2037 expansion

The six leased Boeing 737-8 aircraft serve as a capacity bridge for Royal Air Maroc as it pursues a long-term growth mandate under the leadership of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Abdelhamid Addou. Based at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, the national carrier is operating under a government-backed development program dubbed “Vision 2037,” which was signed in July 2023. The airline is tasked with quadrupling its fleet size to support Morocco’s tourism targets. The country aims to attract 26 million visitors by 2030, the year it will co-host the FIFA World Cup.

According to reporting by Le360, Royal Air Maroc operated approximately 50 aircraft in 2021. The airline reached a fleet size of 70 aircraft in late September 2026 following the delivery of another Boeing 737 MAX 8, registered as CN-RHS. The carrier targets a total fleet of 74 aircraft by the end of 2026 and 88 aircraft by 2027, with an ultimate goal of 200 aircraft by 2037.

To secure the necessary airframes for the 2037 target, Royal Air Maroc launched a tender in April 2024 to acquire up to 200 aircraft directly from major manufacturers. While the airline evaluates those long-term procurement options, leasing agreements provide the short- and medium-term lift required to maintain network growth.

The capacity additions are already supporting new route development. Aviation Week reported that Royal Air Maroc has actively expanded its network throughout 2026. This expansion included the launch of a direct route from Casablanca to Los Angeles in June 2026 utilizing Boeing 787 aircraft, alongside planned frequency increases to destinations across Europe and Africa.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has determined that a flight management system software anomaly on certain Boeing 737 MAX aircraft does not constitute a safety-of-flight risk, clearing a critical regulatory hurdle for the certification of the Boeing 737 MAX 10. The decision, reached on October 2, 2026, by the agency’s Corrective Action Review Board (CARB) in Seattle, Washington, resolves a review that had temporarily paused the MAX 10 certification process earlier in the week.

According to Reuters, the ruling also alleviates operational compliance concerns for airlines flying the recently certified Boeing 737 MAX 7, which utilizes the same software version. The FAA paused the certification process for the MAX 10 during the week of September 28, 2026, to allow the CARB to complete a thorough analysis of the software behavior.

Flight management system anomaly details

The software glitch affects the flight management system (FMS) software versions U14 and U14.1, which are supplied to Boeing by GE Aerospace. According to technical details reported by Bloomberg via the Japan Times, the anomaly can cause the vertical navigation (VNAV) mode to disengage during a go-around or missed approach if the flight crew modifies the preprogrammed route. This disengagement forces the autopilot into a simpler level of automation for pitch control, subsequently increasing crew workload during a critical phase of flight.

Pilots at WestJet Airlines Ltd. first identified the software anomaly in 2024 during an entry-into-service validation flight and subsequently reported the behavior to Boeing. Despite the technical fault, the issue has not manifested during standard commercial flights. In an internal staff memo reviewed by Reuters, WestJet noted that the airline “has received no reports of this condition occurring during normal line operations.”

The FAA ultimately concluded that the software behavior does not cross the threshold into a safety-of-flight issue. In a statement provided to Aviation Week, the regulator explained that the CARB reached its determination because flight crews maintain full control of the aircraft, and the system indications presented to the pilots remain “clear and unambiguous.”

Operator impact and fleet status

The FAA certified the Boeing 737 MAX 7 in August 2026 with the affected FMS software installed. Following that certification, Boeing formally notified operators of the potential VNAV disengagement issue. The CARB’s October 2, 2026, determination ensures that the MAX 7 can continue operations without immediate regulatory intervention or grounding orders.

However, the presence of the software has influenced fleet planning for major US carriers. According to reporting by Bloomberg News via TradingView, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Alaska Airlines have all confirmed that their active fleets do not utilize the faulty software versions. Furthermore, United Airlines has stated it is not accepting new aircraft equipped with the affected FMS software.

To manage the issue across the broader industry, the FAA is expected to issue a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) in October 2026. The bulletin will formally notify US carriers and foreign aviation regulators regarding the technical specifics of the anomaly and the recommended operational procedures.

The Boeing 737 MAX 10 certification path

The Boeing 737 MAX 10 is the largest variant of the manufacturer’s best-selling narrowbody commercial aircraft family. The programme has faced years of certification delays, making the recent regulatory pause a point of significant concern for the aerospace manufacturer. The MAX 10 is critical to Boeing’s long-term production plans and future cash generation.

Boeing currently holds more than 1,500 orders for the MAX 10 variant. With the CARB determination removing the immediate regulatory roadblock, the FAA can resume the certification process. Concurrently, Boeing is developing a permanent software update to address the FMS anomaly, though a specific timeline for the deployment of that patch has not been officially released.

AirPro News analysis

We note that while the FAA’s Corrective Action Review Board has removed the immediate regulatory roadblock for the Boeing 737 MAX 10, a commercial disconnect remains. The regulatory determination that the software is safe for flight does not automatically translate to operator acceptance, as evidenced by United Airlines declining deliveries of aircraft equipped with the current software version. Until Boeing finalizes and deploys its permanent software patch, the manufacturer may face a backlog of completed airframes that airlines are unwilling to induct into their active fleets, potentially delaying the financial benefits of the MAX 10’s eventual certification.

FLYONE Armenia has finalized a firm order for two Airbus A321neo aircraft, marking the carrier’s first direct purchase from the European manufacturer. The agreement, announced on September 30, 2026, signals a strategic transition for the Yerevan-based airline from relying on leased capacity to acquiring new-generation airframes directly from the factory.

The transaction stems from a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed on May 5, 2026, during French President Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic visit to Armenia. According to the Airbus press release, the new aircraft will feature a high-density 239-seat all-economy configuration and will be powered by CFM International LEAP engines to support the airline’s network expansion.

Fleet modernization and strategic shift

The transition to direct manufacturer orders represents a significant capital commitment for the five-year-old airline. FLYONE Armenia Chief Executive Officer Aram Khachatryan described the direct order as a symbolic milestone for the airline’s development.

“Having two new A321neo aircraft built by Airbus specifically for our airline reflects our continued commitment to fleet modernisation and long-term growth,” Khachatryan said. “We are proud to strengthen our partnership with Airbus and are confident that this investment will support not only FLYONE Armenia’s future development, but also the continued growth of Armenia’s civil aviation sector and its international cooperation.”

Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Executive Vice President of Sales for the Commercial Aircraft business at Airbus, noted that the order underscores the airline’s focus on operational efficiency as it expands its Airbus A320 Family fleet. He added that the manufacturer anticipates a deep collaboration to support the carrier’s strategic growth plans.

Market context and FlyOne Group expansion

Established in 2021, FLYONE Armenia operates as a low-cost carrier (LCC) out of Zvartnots International Airport (EVN) in Yerevan. The airport represents a rapidly growing market, recently surpassing 5.6 million annual passengers. In this environment, FLYONE Armenia competes directly with ultra-low-cost carriers (ULCC) such as Wizz Air and legacy operators including Aeroflot.

The airline is part of the broader FlyOne Group, which manages carriers in Moldova and Romania. On August 24, 2026, sister airline FlyOne Asia took delivery of its first Airbus A321-200NX, marking the group’s initial induction of the re-engined narrowbody family.

While Airbus states that FLYONE Armenia currently operates a fleet of 11 Airbus A320 Family aircraft, aviation intelligence providers note a complex fleet structure. The airline has historically relied on Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance, and Insurance (ACMI) wet-lease contracts, sourcing capacity from external operators like Avion Express and from within the FlyOne Group. Records from the Armenian Civil Aviation Committee show five aircraft on the national register, with the remaining active airframes operating under foreign registries.

AirPro News analysis

We view FLYONE Armenia’s transition from ACMI and second-hand leases to direct manufacturer orders as a standard maturation milestone for a growing low-cost carrier. Securing direct delivery slots for the highly constrained Airbus A321neo indicates long-term capital commitment and a shift toward controlling unit costs through new-engine technology, rather than relying entirely on the flexibility of the wet-lease market.