Fez

Morocco has experienced a record period of air travel over the latest summer season according to the Global Arab Network. Despite all the issues this year in the aviation market, passenger traffic for May, June and July saw was 13% up on the previous year, according to data released by Office National Des Aéroports, with the kingdom’s airports handling 1.59m passengers in July alone.

Casablanca is the most popular of the Morocco’s airports with 49% of all passenger traffic so far in 2010. Despite this dominance some of Morocco’s other airports are witnessing significant growth, including Tangier (37.3%), Nador (21.8%) and the largest by Fez with arrivals growing by (39.2%).

The growth in Morocco’s aviation sector is largely down to two main factors. The first has been the government’s drive to develop the aviation infrastructure to support the growth of tourism industry. Between 2005 and 2008 the government invested €670m to expand and modernise the majority of the country’s 12 airports, including doubling the capacity of Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca to 8m passengers.

Morocco’s National Airport Office is currently undertaking a tendering process for an investment project to double the capacity at Marrakech International, as well as a €56m upgrade of Fez Saiss.

The second significant contributor to the growth in the Moroccan aviation sector is the open skies agreement signed between Morocco and the EU in 2006. This agreement removed all capacity restrictions and was the first of its kind between the EU and a non-EU member. The deal allows any number of airlines from the EU and Morocco unlimited rights to fly between any city-pair involving Morocco and EU member nations without significant restrictions on capacity, frequency or price.

This deal has attracted a number  of new airlines to serve the Moroccan market over the last three years. Some of the most significant included Ryanair, opening a new route between Edinburgh and Marrakesh starting in May 2010 and EasyJet’s  plan to open a new route between Fez and Paris in November 2010. EasyJet already operates flights to Casablanca, Marrakesh, Tangier and Agadir. Morocco also has its own low cost airline, Air Arabia Maroc, set up as a joint venture between various Moroccan investors and Sharjah’s Air Arabia , which was launched in late 2009.

Interestingly it is not just tourism that is driving Morocco’s growth in the aviation sector. Morocco is fast becoming an international player in the aerospace industry, developing as an important subcontracting base for European space and aeronautical contractors. Current the sector employs 7,000 workers across 90 companies generating exports of €520m. The Moroccan nation new agency reported in January that the Moroccan government has given a number of incentives to attract new aerospace firms, with the aim of creating 15,000 additional jobs in the sector and €360 million of GDP between 2009-2015.

Morocco is currently investing massively in its infrastructure to attract both tourists and business to the country. All this investment will make Morocco an even easier destination for European and international visitors and will be a welcome benefit to all of us who enjoy visiting Morocco so much. Here are some more articles on what makes Morocco such a great place to visit (we think!) – click here.