Ryanair Expands in Morocco, Challenges Royal Air Maroc with 33% Growth Target

The Irish airline now serves 12 Moroccan cities for 175 different routes and 1,100 flights per week in the high season, with the ambition of dethroning the historic Royal Air Maroc (RAM), the national airline. It expects to carry five million passengers through Moroccan airports during this summer season, an expected growth of 33% compared to last year. Last week, the Irish low-cost carrier inaugurated its fourth base in Tangier. It has already invested 1.3 billion euros in Morocco, mainly in the acquisition of new aircraft.

"We have an excellent relationship with the Moroccan government," explains Eddie Wilson, the CEO of Ryanair DAC, the main company in the Irish group, to La Libre. "Morocco has one of the fastest growing economies in Africa. It is a country where tourism, all year round, is booming." He will add: "Not to mention that Morocco will host the 2030 World Cup, with Spain and Portugal. In short, there are plenty of opportunities to develop here." Ryanair is determined to challenge its competitors, Royal Air Maroc (RAM) and Air Arabia Maroc. "For us, competition has always been something positive," whispers Eddie Wilson. "It will be especially beneficial for the Moroccan traveler, as we intend to offer very attractive prices." Its arrival on the Moroccan market has also forced Air Arabia to review its operational and marketing strategies to maintain its market share.

The Irish low-cost carrier is also interested in the Moroccan diaspora in Europe. "Our development in Morocco is good news for the large Moroccan community in Belgium, but also in France, Spain or the Netherlands in particular," insists the CEO of Ryanair DAC. The Irish low-cost carrier now operates 76 weekly flights between Belgium and Morocco. "It’s an important market for us: these immigrant workers come to visit their families and friends in the country," assures Eddie Wilson. And to continue: "It reminds me of the beginning of our operations in Ireland. The Irish air market has developed in particular thanks to the large diaspora that went to work in the United Kingdom. At first, many of these migrants thought they would never see Ireland again or almost. But in the end, many of them come back to the country almost every weekend thanks to Ryanair. We also see this type of behavior currently in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe where the economies are now mature. And I think we’ll see the same thing in Morocco."