Morocco plans to reach 90 million passengers in its airports by 2035

Morocco's new civil aviation outlook would see 60 million travellers through all of the country's airports by 2030, and 90 million by 2035. The proposed target is in line with the hard work of the Moroccan government, which is seeking a massive expansion of the airport as part of its strategy to expand its air connections.

To speed up this process, the country plans to invest around 42 billion dirhams (4.2 billion dollars) in airport expansion projects by 2030. According to the Moroccan Minister of Transport and Logistics, Abdessamad Kayouh, the planned investments seek to modernise and improve the infrastructure of the country's main airports by increasing their capacity and efficiency, including those in Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Marrakech, Fez, Tétouan and Agadir.

For his part, Kayouh said that in 2024 more than 32 million passengers passed through Morocco's airports, including foreign tourists and domestic travellers, compared to 27 million in 2023, far exceeding the previous target of 24 million. In the tourism segment, the country is now the most visited African destination with 17.5 million visitors, surpassing Egypt, which registered 15.7 million last year.  

Similarly, the minister mentioned the key steps that continue to strengthen regional connectivity through agreements between the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Regional Councils and Royal Air Maroc (RAM). In this regard, the national airline signed a contract with the government to acquire 200 aircraft, in order to fulfil its role as the main traffic provider. 

According to the minister, the state is highly committed to strengthening national air transport to connect the 12 regions of Morocco, facilitating access between cities and airports. In addition, to reduce the cost of flights, a subsidy scheme has been introduced to give travellers preferential rates.

Kayouh said that his ministry had financed a third of the allocated financial aid in 2024. As a result, total subsidies reached 60 million dirhams (6 million dollars) and more than 2.28 million passengers were transported by RAM as a result of these agreements.

In addition, the private airline Air Arabia increased its frequency in Morocco, adding links between Rabat and Agadir, as well as between Agadir and the cities of Tangier and Fez, enabling it to transport around 364,000 passengers on these routes. As part of the support for these initiatives, the Ministry has decided to invest 20 million dirhams (2 million dollars).

The authorities have done their duty by facilitating the conclusion of agreements within the framework of Morocco's open skies policy. A clear example is Ryanair, an Irish low-cost airline, which has launched 14 flights on 11 routes linking nine Moroccan airports since March 2024, covering flights between Marrakech and the cities of Fez and Tangier, and even Agadir with several cities in the north and east of the country.

Apparently, one of the incentives for this project would be the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco is co-hosting with Spain and Portugal. This shows that the Moroccan kingdom is very determined to be an international connection point, providing smooth air transport for the thousands of football fans who will be attending the event. 

It is clear that, thanks to constant investment in national and international air travel, Morocco's transport sector is very well positioned to keep up with the growing demand for air connectivity, guaranteeing access for passengers throughout the country.