Casablanca Airport Pledges to Reduce Waiting Time, Announces $4 Billion Terminal

Doha – Morocco’s Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca pledged to reduce passenger waiting time from 45 to 25 minutes.

Transport and Logistics Minister Abdessamad Kayouh announced the news during a parliamentary session on Tuesday.

He said that the pledged improvement comes as part of a broader MAD 40 billion ($4 billion) expansion project set to transform the Casablanca hub by 2029.

The new airport terminal, spanning 700 hectares, will serve as the home base for Royal Air Maroc’s expanding fleet, which is projected to grow from 50 to 250 aircraft by 2033.

The expansion will triple the airport’s current capacity from 15 million to 45 million passengers annually by 2029, requiring an investment of MAD 25 billion ($2.5 billion).

In preparation for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, Morocco’s airports are undergoing significant upgrades. The national airport network’s total capacity, currently at 40 million passengers, will double to 80 million by 2035.

Recent developments at Mohammed V International Airport include a new international transit zone, operational since June.

The 5,000-square-meter facility, 2.5 times larger than its predecessor, can process 2 million transit passengers annually.

The zone features 11 check-in points, 10 automated baggage screening systems with explosive detection capabilities, seven magnetic gates, three body scanners, and 47 control points across 3,500 square meters.

Other major airport expansions across Morocco include major hubs, beginning with Rabat-Sale Airport. The capital’s airport aims to increase its capacity to 5 million passengers by 2025, with a budget of MAD 2 billion ($200 million investment).

The expansion project also covers the Tangier Airport, with Morocco aiming to expand its capacity from 3 to 7 million passengers by 2029 with an investment estimated at MAD 3 billion ($300 million).

In addition to Rabat and Tangier airports, Marrakech Airport is also under the expansion radar. Morocco seeks to make the airport’s capacity grow from 9 to 16 million passengers by 2029 with a MAD 3 billion ($300 million) investment.

The airports under Morocco’s expansion plan also include:

– Agadir Airport: Increasing from 3 to 7 million passengers by 2029 (MAD 2.5 billion/$250 million investment)

– Fez Airport: Expanding from 2 to 5 million passengers by 2029 (MAD 1.5 billion/$150 million investment)

– Tetouan Airport: Growing from 150,000 to 1 million passengers by 2026 (MAD 300 million/$30 million investment)