Morocco denies subsidising Ryanair domestic flights

Alamy/Alex Segre

• No financial aid says ministry
• RAM competition fears dismissed
• Domestic flights begin in summer

Morocco’s Ministry of Tourism has denied claims that it is subsidising the Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair’s expansion across the country.

Ryanair will open domestic flights throughout Morocco from the summer as part of its $1.4 billion investment in the North African country.

It had been reported that the Moroccan National Tourism Office would be providing the carrier with financial aid for the rollout of its domestic flight programme.

However, this has been categorically denied by authorities.

---

---

The summer programme includes 11 domestic routes to nine destinations: Agadir, Errachidia, Essaouira, Fez, Marrakech, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Tangier and Tetouan.

• Ryanair to begin domestic flights in Morocco in 2024

• Africa, the next frontier for Gulf airlines

• Morocco hails record tourist numbers for 2023

There are also plans to introduce 24 new international routes, connecting Morocco to European countries including Germany, Spain, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and the UK.

Ryanair will be the third airline to operate flights in Morocco, following the national carrier, Royal Air Moroc (RAM), and the UAE’s Air Arabia.

Authorities also dismissed fears of competition between Ryanair and RAM, saying that none of the flight schedules overlap, a report by Maghreb Arabe Presse said.

RAM is looking to expand its fleet to 200 aircraft by 2037.

Morocco welcomed 14.5 million tourists in 2023. That number is expected to rise significantly thanks to major events such as the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup.