The Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) and the airline Ryanair signed, Wednesday in Dakhla, a memorandum of understanding for the launch from January 2025 of two new direct air services linking the pearl of the South to Madrid in Spain and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.
Concluded in the presence of the Minister of Tourism, Crafts and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Fatim-Zahra Ammor, and the CEO of Ryanair, Eddie Wilson, this strategic agreement covers the next four tourist seasons and provides for programming at completion of four new international routes to Dakhla.
Thus, the Irish airline is committed to strengthening air connectivity from Dakhla to its vast international network.
The first stage of this agreement provides for the launch, from January 2025, of two new air services connecting Dakhla airport to Madrid in Spain and Lanzarote in the Canary Islands, at a rate of two frequencies per week.
Through this launch, Ryanair will become the fourth ONMT partner to open a direct international service to Dakhla, after Royal Air Maroc (RAM), Binter Canarias and Transavia.
In a statement to the press, Ms. Ammor stressed that the objective of launching these two new airlines is to strengthen air connectivity to the city of Dakhla, which is experiencing great development in the tourism sector, especially that it is a destination of choice for water sports.
For his part, the CEO of Ryanair, Eddie Wilson, indicated that these two air services are likely to strengthen tourist flows in the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region, expressing the hope that this step is the prelude to further expanding air connectivity with Dakhla which aims to be an exceptional tourist destination.
“We are very satisfied with our operations in Morocco,” he said, emphasizing the performance of the airport system.
He also noted that Ryanair has made significant investments since 2006, emphasizing close cooperation with Moroccan authorities to improve air connectivity in Morocco.
In detail, the new Dakhla-Madrid link will offer a first direct connection with the Iberian Peninsula, serving Barajas airport, one of the largest European air hubs.
The Lanzarote-Dakhla service will complete the offer from the Canary Islands, a key market for Ryanair, widely connected to European destinations.
These new airlines will double the airport’s current international capacity, bringing the offer to nearly 47,000 seats. They will also make Spain the leading source market to Dakhla, ahead of France.
The agreement between the ONMT and Ryanair also provides for the launch of new air services connecting the main European cities to Dakhla airport, thus facilitating access for European tourists to this booming destination and contributing to its development.
Joint promotional campaigns between the ONMT and Ryanair will be carried out to highlight the tourist potential of the Morocco destination and promote the new airlines created.
Following on from the agreement signed between the ONMT and Ryanair in December 2023, this new memorandum of understanding confirms the strong potential of the Morocco destination and Ryanair’s interest in this destination.
Note that air transport, a pillar of the Tourism Roadmap 2023-2026 and the resulting ONMT action plan “Light in Action”, is being further strengthened in favor of a better influence of tourist destinations Moroccans.
The signing ceremony of this memorandum of understanding was marked by the presence in particular of the wali of the region of Dakhla-Oued Eddahab, governor of the province of Oued Eddahab, Ali Khalil, the governor of the province, Mohammed Rochdy, president of the Council of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab region, El Khattat Yanja and the president of the Municipal Council of Dakhla, Erragheb Hormatallah, as well as the president of the Regional Council of Tourism, the directors of the ONMT, and representatives of the National Confederation of Tourism (CNT).
With MAP
