The Moroccan government has given its go ahead for Ryanair to operate domestic flights in the country starting from next summer.
Ryanair will be the third airline to operate flights in the North African country, after Moroccan carrier RAM and the UAE’s Air Arabia.
As part of a $1.4 billlion investment, Ryanair will launch 11 new domestic routes, connecting nine cities in Morocco – Agadir, Errachidia, Essaouira, Fez, Marrakesh, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Tangier, and Tetuan from this summer.
Ryanair will also introduce 24 new international routes, connecting Morocco to Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden, and Britain.
The airline said it will operate over 1,100 weekly flights across 175 routes, including those 35 new routes.
It also announced its fourth Moroccan base, with two new aircraft in Tangier, as well as its first flights to Beni-Mellal and Errachidia airports.
“This is a historic day for the partnership between Ryanair and the Kingdom of Morocco. Ryanair is proud to unveil a $1.4m major investment in Morocco for Summer 2024 which with our biggest Summer schedule delivers more than 5 million passengers to/from, and within the Kingdom of Morocco,” Ryanair’s chief executive Eddie Wilson said.
Moroccan officials hope increased international and domestic flights will help the country attract 17.5 million tourists by 2026, up from 11 million last year. In 2019, Morocco had 13 million visitors.
Source: RTE