Ryanair has announced its largest schedule to and from Morocco for winter 2023/2024, boosting vital tourism throughout the year and supporting Morocco’s economic recovery after the Marrakech-Safi earthquake of 8 September – a region whose economic well-being is fuelled by international tourism and where Ryanair will add another aircraft based for winter 2023/2024.
Ryanair will operate more than 840 weekly flights – up 20% on winter 2022 levels – on a record 126 routes to/from 10 Moroccan airports this winter, including 10 new routes to Barcelona, Bordeaux, Cologne, Girona, Düsseldorf, London, Madrid, Stockholm, Strasbourg and Wroclaw, and increased frequencies on more than 50 other routes. This record-breaking programme will allow Ryanair to significantly increase connectivity between Morocco and Europe with new direct routes to key markets including Scandinavia, Germany, Eastern Europe and the UK.
To support this growth in Morocco, Ryanair will base an additional Boeing 737 Gamechanger in Marrakech, bringing Ryanair’s total fleet in Morocco to 12 aircraft ($1.2 billion investment) and creating more than 30 new well-paying jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers in Marrakech. This means that 6 of the 12 aircraft in Ryanair’s Moroccan fleet will now be Gamechangers, highly sought after by European airports as they reduce CO2 emissions by 16% and noise emissions by 40%, while carrying 4% more passengers.
Speaking from Marrakesh, Ryanair CEO Eddie Wilson said:
“Following my meeting with Mr. Akhannouch, Head of Government of the Kingdom of Morocco, as well as Ministers Ammor and Abdeljalil, Ryanair was delighted to announce this major investment with our valued partners.”
“The launch of our largest-ever Moroccan programme will offer more than 840 weekly flights on 126 routes, including connections to key markets in Europe, such as Scandinavia, Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Italy, Ireland, Portugal, the Netherlands, Eastern Europe and the United Kingdom.” “This record-breaking programme will not only allow Ryanair to increase its Moroccan winter traffic by more than 20%, but also add 10 new routes and an additional Marrakech-based aircraft – a $100 million investment that brings Ryanair’s total Morocco-based fleet to 12 (including 6 new “Gamechanger” aircraft) – and create more than 30 new local jobs that will provide additional support to the Marrakech-Safi region and the region. its economy as it continues to recover from the devastating effects of the recent earthquake.”
“Since the launch of Ryanair in the Kingdom almost two decades ago, we have invested more than $1.2 billion and transported more than 40 million passengers to/from Morocco, promoting connectivity, tourism, investment and employment in the country. We have had very positive discussions with Mr. Akhannouch and his cabinet on how Ryanair can continue this growth to support Morocco’s hosting of the 2030 World Cup by increasing the number of aircraft based and connectivity with the Kingdom, and we are confident that today marks just one of many exciting announcements we will make together.”
Ryanair’s 2023/2024 winter schedule in Morocco offers:
- $100 million in additional investment in Marrakech ($1.2 billion in total)
- 12 aircraft based in total (including 6 “Gamechangers”) – 7 in Marrakech, 3 in Fez and 2 in Agadir
- 126 routes, including connections to Scandinavia, Germany, Eastern Europe and the UK
- 10 new routes – Barcelona, Bordeaux, Cologne, Girona, Düsseldorf, London, Madrid, Stockholm, Strasbourg and Wroclaw
- Increased flight frequency on more than 50 routes
- More than 6,000 local jobs, including 360 high-paying jobs in the aviation and professional sectors
- Moroccan traffic increases to more than 7 million passengers per year
