Morocco Expands Air Travel in North to Boost Tourism and Regional Economy

The prospects look promising for northern Morocco in terms of air traffic. The Tetouan Hotel Association is delighted with the establishment of an air base in the city which, according to it, will attract more national and international tourists to the northern region. Rather than landing in Marrakech or Casablanca, travelers, lovers of tourist destinations like Chefchaouen, will be able to arrive directly via Tangier, which already has an air base, report Les Eco.

Tetouan airport has undergone extension work to cope with the influx of national and international tourists. In 2023, some 253,552 passengers transited through this airport, according to data from the National Airports Office (ONDA). A number that will certainly increase in the coming months, as was the case with Tanger Ibn Battouta airport, whose traffic increased by 34% over a year, with more than 1.9 million passengers.

This trend will also be observed in other airports in the kingdom, assures ONDA, which explains these increases in air traffic by "the resumption of many flights that were suspended during the health crisis, and also by the creation of several new air routes". Moroccan airports, and mainly those in the north of the kingdom, will undergo major developments in order to meet the needs of the evolution of air traffic by 2027, adds ONDA.

The renovation and commissioning of terminal 1 of Tanger-Ibn Battouta International Airport is part of this dynamic. ONDA has also launched a call for tenders for the construction of a new terminal with a capacity of more than 3.5 million passengers, a new control tower and the realization of various outdoor developments in order to meet the influx of passengers by 2040.