Morocco: Increasing airport capacity to 80 million passengers annually by the World Cup economy

Moroccan Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said on Monday that Morocco intends to raise the capacity of the country’s airports to 80 million passengers annually by 2030 from the current 38 million.

Akhannouch added in a speech before the House of Representatives that the plan comes within the framework of Morocco’s preparations to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup in partnership with Spain and Portugal, and to promote tourism.

He explained that Casablanca Airport’s capacity will increase to 23.3 million passengers, through the construction of a third runway and additional facilities in the passenger building, while Marrakesh Airport’s capacity will reach 14 million passengers and Agadir Airport’s capacity will reach 6.3 million by 2030.

He noted that expansion and equipment works had been completed at Rabat-Salé, Tetouan, and Al Hoceima Cherif Idrissi airports, in addition to airport preparation works in Fez, Tangier, Marrakesh, Beni Mellal, Zagora and Nador.

Tourism record

According to data from the Ministry of Tourism, Morocco received 15.9 million tourists in the first 11 months of this year, exceeding the rate of the entire last year thanks to the increase in airlines.

Morocco is also working to increase the length of the high-speed train network to Marrakesh before the start of the World Cup, and to the south to Agadir at a later time.

The National Railway Office aims to expand its network to double the number of cities it serves (to 43 cities), or 87% of Morocco’s population, by 2040.

It also aims to extend the high-speed line from Kenitra to Marrakesh, over a length of 430 kilometers, at a cost estimated at 53 billion dirhams ($5.3 billion), while linking Rabat and Casablanca airports. It is expected that this line will extend from Marrakesh to Agadir over a length of 240 kilometers.

Stadiums

In his speech, the Prime Minister referred to the expansion and renovation of 45 stadiums and training sites in the six cities scheduled to host World Cup matches, in addition to the construction of a new stadium near Casablanca that can accommodate about 115,000 spectators.

The government explained that building and expanding the stadiums would cost Morocco up to 5 billion dirhams ($500 million).

Morocco will also host the 2025 African Cup of Nations.