Ryanair Shifts Focus to Morocco as Spanish Routes Decline

In January, Ryanair announced the closure of a dozen routes in Spain (including one in Vigo) due to Aena taxes. At the same time, the airline launched a route to Morocco. During April, the Irish low-cost carrier barely managed to board 3,257 passengers to Dakhla, in the Moroccan Sahara, from Madrid and Lanzarote airports. That’s a rate of 47.77% on the nearly 7,000 seats offered.

Currently, Ryanair offers only two weekly frequencies to Dakhla from Madrid and Lanzarote. The Moroccan government wants to make this Southern province a major tourist destination, "a world-class water sports paradise," according to Fatim-Zahra Ammor, the Moroccan Minister of Tourism. In view of the 2030 World Cup, the company has also announced the creation of a new base in Tangier, a project that will require an investment of 185 million euros, according to Faro de Vigo.

Meanwhile, Ryanair has reduced its presence in Spain. During January, it recorded an occupancy rate of 56.81% at Barajas and a low rate of 13.69% at Lanzarote. The figures worsened in February where the combined occupancy rate fell by five points to 31.94%, before reaching its lowest level in March. The rate of 44.74% is the lowest ever recorded by the company in Madrid, where it usually fills more than 85%.

Similarly, the Irish low-cost carrier saw its occupancy rate in Gran Canaria drop from 50-70% last year to 29.24%. Binter has stolen the show by offering free connections with other islands in the Canary archipelago, as well as with other North Atlantic islands such as Ponta Delgada (Azores), Funchal (Madeira) or Ilha do Sal (Cape Verde), or direct flights to North Africa, including Marrakech, Agadir, Guelmim and Laayoune in Morocco, Dakar in Senegal and Nouakchott in Mauritania.