Ryanair Faces Backlash in Morocco Over Foreign Currency Payment Policy

The controversy over the payment of domestic flight tickets in foreign currency and not in dirhams persists. In a question addressed to the Minister of Transport and Logistics, Mohammed Abdeljalil, the president of the Haraki parliamentary group, Driss Sentissi, indicated that "the airline’s first flights in April 2024 saw strong demand from travelers. However, what displeased the travelers was the payment method imposed by the company for the purchase of these tickets, namely payment in foreign currency via the international bank card, which many of the company’s customers consider to be a deception on its part."

"Having noted that the tickets were only available for purchase through international Moroccan bank cards drawing on foreign exchange allocations, the ministry reminded the company of its commitments on March 29, 2024 and ordered it to comply with them as soon as possible," the Ministry of Transport and Logistics explained in a recent press release. Based on this finding, Mohammed Abdeljalil’s department "decided to allow Ryanair to operate its domestic flights exceptionally for a period of one month (from Sunday, March 31) pending the company’s compliance with its obligations." But MP Driss Sentissi says he has found that Ryanair has still not complied with its commitments.

"Tickets for all months of 2024 are currently offered on the company’s online sales website, and thousands of customers who have booked for flights after April, particularly for the summer season, find themselves in an unenviable situation, having paid in foreign currency," the elected official said. He then asks Minister Mohammed Abdeljalil to provide clarification on this problem and to inform Parliament of the preventive measures his department will take to protect the rights of customers of the Irish low-cost airline.