Rabat – Moroccan startup Dlimi Airlines announced it will be launching passenger flights in the third quarter of 2022.
Dlimi Airline, based in Morocco’s Dakhla said that it has filed for a license from Morocco’s General Civil Aviation Directorate (DGAC), according to a report from airline news outlet ch-aviation.
Founder and CEO of Dlimi Airlines Hamza Dlimi is in the negotiation phase with airplane manufacturer Embraer to acquire two passenger planes.
Founded in 2020, Dlimi Airline plans to provide passenger flights service in all major Moroccan cities, with an external offering extending to West Africa, the Canary Islands, and France, according to the company’s website.
The startup equally has plans to venture into tourism by investing in water sports, especially kitesurfing, as Dakhla “gets 300 days of wind a year,” the founder said.
While currently home to a small international airport, Dakhla is on the map for intensive government programs aiming to encourage tourism and stimulate socio-economic development in the region.
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Over the coming two years, Dakhal’s international airport will undergo significant expansion, boosting its capacity to one million passengers a year, according to data from Morocco’s National Airline Authority (ONDA).
Dakhla is currently home to many of Morocco’s mega-infrastructure projects including a $1.2 billion flagship deep-sea port and state-of-the-art industrial zone.
Morocco’s intensive investment projects in its southern regions are slowly transforming Dakhla into an investment hub, argues a report from consulting firm Business Oxford.
In 2020, Morocco launched a bid for the development of the Marine Complex, a leisure complex located along the coastline of Dakhla, reports the consultancy group.
In addition to attracting public investment, Dakhla boasts a young demographic and has the highest GDP per capita in Morocco.
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