PARIS/RABAT, June 11 (Reuters) - Royal Air Maroc is

nearing a deal with Boeing ( BA ) for dozens of jets to renew

its fleet, though Europe's Airbus is preparing to gain

a rare foothold with a smaller order for 20 A220 jets, industry

sources said on Wednesday.

Royal Air Maroc has been in talks for over a year to renew

its virtually all-Boeing ( BA ) fleet and is expected to stick with its

traditional supplier for the bulk of its needs, including 737

MAX and 787 Dreamliner at next week's Paris Airshow, they said.

The sources asked not to be named because the negotiations

are not public.

Bloomberg earlier reported the Boeing ( BA ) part of the deal may

include about two dozen long-haul 787s and as many as 50 Boeing ( BA )

medium-haul 737s.

While the fleet plan reinforces the carrier's historic ties

with Boeing ( BA ), the sources said, it opens the door to Airbus for

the first time in almost 25 years with an order for the A220 - a

move that coincides with improved ties between Paris and Rabat.

Airbus, Boeing ( BA ) and Royal Air Maroc declined comment.

Royal Air Maroc CEO Abdelhamid Addou said last year that the

airline was in discussions to order new planes as Morocco's

flagship carrier, one of Africa's largest, expands to meet

growing travel demand.

RAM plans to quadruple its fleet within a decade as Morocco

prepares to co-host the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.

Morocco also plans to double airport capacity to 78 million

passengers a year.

Morocco is one of Boeing's ( BA ) most important regional markets,

buttressed by longstanding deals to support the country's

emergence as a rising hub in the aeronautical supply chain.

But French companies are eyeing growing opportunities after

President Emmanuel Macron last year recognised a plan for

autonomy for the Western Sahara region under Moroccan

sovereignty.

A long-running dispute over the territory, dating back to

1975, pits Morocco, which considers Western Sahara its own

territory, against the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, which

seeks an independent state there.

France, however, also faces pressure over the number of

traffic rights granted to its national carrier and any final

Airbus deal may also depend on progress there, the sources said.

Royal Air Maroc's only previous direct order for Airbus jets

was for four A321s in 2001. Its fleet mainly comprises the

Boeing 737 MAX and 787 as well as some smaller Embraers and

ATRs.