Rabat – Morocco’s aviation sector continued its upward trajectory in 2026, with airports across the country welcoming 29.3 million passengers between January and September, up 8.74% from the same period last year.
The figures by the National Airports Office (ONDA) point to broad growth across domestic and international routes, with European markets at the forefront of demand. Domestic travel also maintained a strong pace, while air cargo recorded a sharper increase than passenger traffic.
International routes accounted for 26.15 million passengers, an annual increase of 8.73%. Domestic routes carried 3.18 million travelers, up 8.88%, according to ONDA’s commercial air traffic report for September 2026.
Casablanca and Marrakech dominate airport traffic
Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport retained its position as Morocco’s busiest airport, with 9.36 million passengers during the first nine months of the year.
Marrakech-Menara Airport followed with 8.11 million passengers, reflecting the importance of the city’s tourism market to national air travel. Agadir-Al Massira ranked third with 2.79 million, while Tangier Ibn Battouta recorded 2.33 million and Rabat-Salé welcomed 1.90 million passengers.
The numbers show that passenger traffic remains concentrated at the country’s major urban and tourism gateways, although ONDA’s report also points to growth across several international markets.
Europe remains Morocco’s main air travel market
Europe continued to supply the largest share of international passengers, with 21.67 million travelers on routes between Morocco and European destinations. Traffic rose 9.05% year over year.
Other markets also posted notable gains. Passenger traffic with South America surged 33.48% to 81,185 travelers, the fastest growth among the regions listed in the report. North American routes recorded a 13.23% increase to 771,932 passengers.
Traffic with other African countries rose 13.62% to nearly 1.58 million passengers, while routes with the Maghreb registered an 8.75% increase to 396,080 travelers.
The Middle East and Far East were the only markets listed to record a decline. Passenger traffic on these routes fell 1.8% to approximately 1.65 million.
Air cargo outpaces passenger growth
Morocco’s airports also recorded more aircraft movements and higher freight volumes.
Aircraft movements reached 214,607 through September, up 9.70% from a year earlier. Mohammed V Airport accounted for 73,194 movements, ahead of Marrakech-Menara with 53,164 and Agadir-Al Massira with 19,041.
Air freight showed an even stronger rise. Airports across the country handled 83,744.45 metric tons of cargo during the first nine months of 2026, a 14.29% increase compared with the same period in 2025.
According to ONDA, Moroccan airports received 3.29 million passengers in September alone.
These latest figures point to continued growth in Morocco’s air transport sector, with gains across passenger travel, aircraft activity and cargo operations.
