Ryanair Cancels Key Morocco Route, Sparking Economic Concerns

The cancellation of the Tangier-Ouarzazate route, which had become an efficient and quick means during peak periods and events, has caught Moroccans off guard. "Since its launch, this route has been a vital means of serving a large number of travelers and represented an important economic driver for the region," stated the Moroccan Forum for Citizenship and Human Rights Defense. According to this organization, this decision will not be without consequences for the local economy. "The suspension of this air route will have negative repercussions on the local economy, reducing the number of tourists and visitors to the region, and will create increased difficulties for people wishing to travel to Tangier," it specified.

It added: "This situation will affect both family and professional ties, thus contributing to the loss of many job opportunities, whether in the aviation sector or in tourism." Given this negative impact, the organization called for "the resumption of air flights between Ouarzazate and Tangier as soon as possible, as well as the strengthening and improvement of air services in the region, in order to better meet the needs of travelers, while supporting the local economy by creating new jobs and encouraging investment in the region."

In a Facebook post, a member of the Drâa-Tafilalet Regional Council also deplores this incomprehensible cancellation. The Tangier-Ouarzazate route "had experienced great enthusiasm, especially during periods of high traffic and special occasions, but it was cancelled without being replaced, although it allowed covering a distance of 800 km in just one hour. Since then, not a day goes by without the question of its future being raised, which confirms how necessary it was," he laments. He says he does not understand the cancellation of a successful route while new routes launched and others reinforced to other cities have not shown tangible results.

To support his argument, he reports the statements made by the CEO of Royal Air Maroc during a press conference in Rabat. "I don’t understand why the government supports routes in the North and ignores regions like Ouarzazate," he declared. For the member of the Drâa-Tafilalet Regional Council, Ouarzazate deserves not only to recover the Tangier-Ouarzazate route, but also to have a permanent air platform, connecting it to national and international airports that could have a positive impact on the city’s development, like Marrakech, Agadir, Fez, and Tangier. "We demand territorial justice and fair and equitable air connections for Ouarzazate, as a legitimate right, not as a privilege," he concluded.