Morocco's Busier Airports: What's Changing Before 2030

Morocco’s record airport days this summer make the case for expansion tangible. Casablanca Mohammed V handled 46,439 passengers in 24 hours over the first weekend of August; Marrakech-Menara passed 30,000 in a day, according to Airports of Morocco’s summer traffic release, relayed by MAP.

The response is Aéroports 2030, the airport authority ONDA’s strategy for more capacity, modernized infrastructure and easier passenger journeys. Some changes are already in use. Others involve contracted terminal expansions, with Casablanca’s biggest addition still targeting 2029. For a trip now, those distinctions matter more than the scale of the investment announcement.

Busy days, and a broader increase

The same summer release records single-day peaks of 13,309 passengers at Tangier, 11,973 at Agadir and 9,226 at Rabat-Salé. These are peak-day counts, not annual growth rates or evidence that each airport is equally congested.

There is a separate measure of sustained growth: ONDA’s January–July 2026 figures show 22,282,997 passengers, up 8.77% against the same seven months of 2025. Casablanca and Marrakech accounted for the largest volumes. The summer release puts the 2025 national total at 36.3 million passengers.

Traffic counts explain demand; they do not measure an individual queue or transfer. Our summer airport-record coverage covers the immediate planning implications. The longer-term question is which improvements will be available when you travel.

What Aéroports 2030 is meant to deliver

The strategy combines terminal and airfield expansion with digital services, better passenger flow, service quality and connectivity. Airports of Morocco is the brand carried by ONDA, the organization responsible for the programme.

A government–ONDA agreement signed in July 2025 sets out MAD 38 billion for 2025–2030. That includes MAD 25 billion collectively for expansions at Marrakech, Agadir, Tangier and Fes, plus Casablanca’s new hub terminal and runway. Another MAD 13 billion covers maintenance, modernization and land acquisition.

The stated national capacity target is 80 million passengers a year by 2030. That is designed handling capacity, not a forecast that 80 million people will fly that year. The programme supports Royal Air Maroc’s development and longer-term tourism and connectivity, with the World Cup one driver among several.

Casablanca: a terminal project, not an opening announcement

At Mohammed V, preparatory works began in July 2025. The design team, RSHP, ALA Concept and Egis, subsequently reported that levelling and excavation were complete. This is a project that has moved beyond announcement, although those milestones do not establish how much of the terminal building is finished today.

ONDA’s January 2026 construction award, reported by MAP, went to SGTM/TGCC for MAD 12.8 billion. The terminal is designed for 20 million passengers annually in its first phase, expandable to 30 million. The award specifies 40 months of work and a mid-2029 completion target. Completion is not the same milestone as opening to passengers; RSHP describes first-phase handover as targeted for 2029.

Two distinctions help make sense of the headlines. ONDA’s July 2025 announcement put overall project investment at an estimated MAD 15 billion. That is a different scope and date from the later construction contract, so the figures should not be treated as interchangeable costs. That announcement also described 20 million additional annual places, taking total airport capacity to 35 million. The terminal’s capacity and the whole airport’s capacity are different measures.

An integrated station connected to the future high-speed rail network is part of the confirmed design. That high-speed airport connection is not operating today. The terminal is also intended to support Royal Air Maroc’s connecting hub. Neither feature justifies booking tighter connections today. For existing ground transport, use our Casablanca airport guide and check services for your dates.

Changes passengers can already encounter

At Casablanca, ONDA announced in March 2025 that automatic gates had replaced the duplicate international-passenger passport check. This concerns the second check, not the removal of border formalities.

A separate airport operations centre entered service by January 2026. It brings airport, airline and border-service teams together to coordinate matters including baggage, aircraft stands and passenger flows. Its purpose is better coordination; its existence alone cannot promise a particular waiting time.

Marrakech and Agadir also have completed improvements outside their terminals. An April 2025 ONDA statement carried by MAP described redesigned circulation and drop-off areas, updated signage and direct terminal access organized by airline. Those smaller changes are distinct from the larger terminal projects.

Marrakech, Agadir and the wider programme

Marrakech-Menara: expansion contract awarded. Médias24’s report on the published procurement result identifies Jet Contractors as the winner in August 2025. The scope includes terminal enlargement and reconfiguration, baggage facilities and passenger-processing areas. A contract award establishes a delivery commitment, not that the extra space is already usable.

Agadir-Al Massira: expansion contract awarded. The corresponding award went to SGTM. It covers extending and reworking the terminal, plus access roads, vehicle parking and aircraft parking. Neither award report establishes a passenger opening date we can recommend using for trip planning.

Tangier and Fes: expansion included in the government agreement. Their inclusion confirms programme commitments. That agreement alone does not establish their current construction stage or an opening date. They should not be described as completed improvements on that evidence.

What to expect before 2030

Expect different stages at different airports: operating access and processing changes, contracted expansions, and infrastructure whose benefits depend on future commissioning. Casablanca’s terminal and high-speed connection belong to the latter group.

For bookings, work from the terminals, transport services and airline instructions available for your actual dates. Expansion targets do not establish shorter queues, cheaper flights or disruption-free construction. Until an operator confirms an opening, a projected terminal or rail link should stay out of the itinerary.

Verified September 28, 2026. Traffic periods, project announcements and contract awards are dated separately above. Future capacity and completion dates are targets, not guarantees; no airport-specific construction progress percentage or unverified opening date is inferred.