Ryanair Shifts Routes from Spain to Morocco, Sparking Controversy

Last January, Ryanair cancelled a dozen routes and more than 800,000 seats in Spain, citing the costs of Aena’s airport taxes. Destinations such as Jerez, Valladolid, Vigo and Santiago were particularly affected by this decision, especially as some routes like Vigo-Barcelona were operating with an occupancy rate of around 96%, reports Preferente.

However, the Irish low-cost airline has launched two weekly flights to Dakhla, in the Moroccan Sahara, from Madrid and Lanzarote. The launch of these two routes follows the agreement signed between the airline and the Moroccan government to promote tourism in the southern provinces of the kingdom in order to position this region as an international destination for water sports.

In January, the Madrid-Dakhla route recorded an occupancy rate of 56.81%, compared to barely 13% for the Lanzarote - Dakhla route. These figures are well below Ryanair’s usual average. In February, the combined average occupancy rate for the two routes fell to 31.94%. In March, the occupancy rate for the flight to Madrid plummeted to 44.74%, the lowest rate ever recorded by the company at this airport.

Meanwhile, the route from Lanzarote recorded an occupancy rate of 9.05%, a low level not seen since the Covid-19 pandemic. The Irish low-cost carrier has announced new investments in Morocco, including the creation of a base in Tangier, in anticipation of the 2030 World Cup that the kingdom is jointly organizing with Spain and Portugal.