Morocco’s plan to avoid chaos at its airports

Morocco has great ambitions for its airports. On Monday, the government announced “an ambitious plan aimed at increasing the capacity of the Kingdom’s airports to 80 million passengers by 2030, compared to 38 million currently”. It plans to expand Casablanca airport, in order to accommodate 23.3 million travelers, and to strengthen the capacities of the tourist hubs of Marrakech (14 million passengers) and Agadir (6.3 million).

Read: A vast plan to modernize Moroccan airports

The capacities of Marrakech-Menara airport, one of the busiest in Morocco, will also need to be strengthened. Scheduled to accommodate 9 million passengers a year, it is struggling to handle the record influx of tourists as queues at security checks and customs lengthen, causing delays and growing discontent. The Moroccan government has therefore deployed emergency measures to improve fluidity, but also to increase its capacity.

To read: Moroccan airports are equipped with automatic access doors

These efforts not only meet the needs of the 2030 World Cup, but also aim to support the country’s tourism growth. Arrivals reached a record 16 million visitors to the kingdom from January through November, 20% more than the same period the previous year. The tourism industry in Morocco, which accounts for 7% of GDP, has already generated more than 9 billion euros in revenue this year, even before the month of December.