Rabat – The African Development Bank (AfDB) is set to approve a $36.8 million (MAD 363 million) loan to Morocco’s National Airports Office (ONDA) for the expansion of the Rabat-Sale airport.
The expansion, which has cost upwards of $189 million (MAD 1.8 billion), aims to help the airport meet passenger demand projections for the year 2035, as well as contribute to developing the tourism industry in the Rabat region.
The initial planned budget for the expansion was $184 million but was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the travel and tourism industries suffered losses and resources were diverted to fight the spread of the virus.
The AfDB’s total contribution to the project has been more than MAD 1.16 billion ($117 million), amounting to more than 60% of the total budget, with another MAD 797 million ($80 million) granted to the project back in 2018.
As Morocco’s travel restrictions become more lax, and the world comes out of the COVID chokehold, the numbers of travelers and tourists coming into the country is set to improve again, calling for the expansion project to continue.
Morocco’s Minister of Transports and Logistics Mohammed Abdeljalil said earlier this month that Morocco’s air traffic recovered by as much as 75% in the past few months.
Morocco received more than 3 million passengers between the restarting of flights in February and April 30, which constitutes 64% of air traffic during the same period three years ago.
In addition to the Rabat-Sale airport, Casablanca’s Mohamed VI airport saw the construction of a new terminal for domestic flights, while the Nador El-Aroui airport also increased its capacity to around 2 million travelers following the construction of a new terminal.
Freight shipping through Morocco’s airports registered an 83% recovery rate compared to 2019 earlier this year, the ONDA said.
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