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Morocco to double airport capacity by 2035

By Gavin Gibbon
Morocco Casablanca airport Alamy/Bernal Revert
Morocco wants to turn Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport into an intercontinental hub
  • Target of 80m passengers a year
  • Casablanca to be intercontinental hub
  • Link with World Cup 2030

Morocco is aiming to double the capacity of its airports by 2035 as part of its efforts to host the Fifa World Cup.

The country’s airports serve up to 40 million passengers, and Mohamed Abdeljalil, minister of transport and logistics, has revealed he wants that to rise to 80 million in just over 10 years.

Abdeljalil, speaking at the 28th Session of the General Assembly of the Arab Civil Aviation Organisation, said projects would be launched to extend and renovate several airports, without giving specifics.

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More than 14 million tourists visited Morocco in 2023. That number is expected to rise significantly, thanks to major events such as the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup.

Morocco will become only the second African nation to host the World Cup, albeit alongside five other countries spread across three continents.

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the World Cup, the 2030 edition will be held jointly in Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Abdeljalil said that plans included strengthening air connectivity in the country, particularly for low-cost carriers. He stressed the importance of the aviation industry to the success of major international events.

The Moroccan flag carrier, Royal Air Maroc, is looking to quadruple its fleet by 2037 with the aim of transforming Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport into an intercontinental hub.

Morocco’s National Airports Office previously reported that from January to the end of May 2024, Mohammed V Airport handled almost 4 million passengers, an 8 percent rise compared to the same period in 2023. The airport now accounts for 31 percent of Morocco’s total air traffic.

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