Airports of Morocco

Airports of Morocco is the current English name of Morocco’s national public airport authority, formerly known as the Office national des aéroports, or ONDA. The institution manages, operates, develops, and modernizes the Kingdom’s civil-airport network and also provides air-navigation control and related services. Its activities span airport infrastructure, terminal and airside operations, passenger processing, aviation safety and security, aircraft movement coordination, cargo handling environments, and the planning of additional capacity for future air-traffic growth. The institution’s origins lie in a change in Morocco’s airport-governance model at the beginning of the 1980s. Before then, airports and air-navigation functions were administered directly by the state through the ministry responsible for transport. After the construction and commissioning of a new terminal at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca, Morocco introduced a more autonomous management structure. In 1980, it created the Office des aéroports de Casablanca, initially responsible for Casablanca’s airports. The model was subsequently extended as the government sought to improve airport infrastructure, expand the national network, and raise operational standards. The Casablanca office was transformed into the Office national des aéroports through Law No. 14-89 and Decree No. 2-89-480, dated 30 December 1989. From 1990 onward, its remit progressively covered the country’s airports and air-navigation activities. A royal decision in 1991 formally attached all air-navigation services to the institution, consolidating its role as a national aviation-infrastructure body rather than a city-specific airport operator. In 2025, the organization officially adopted the name Airports of Morocco, reflecting its national scope and an English-facing institutional identity. Airports of Morocco serves airlines, passengers, cargo operators, airport concessionaires, aviation authorities, and other users of Morocco’s air-transport system. It publishes operational statistics such as passenger traffic, aircraft movements, and cargo volumes, including monthly airport-level reports. Traffic is strongly seasonal, with summer peaks associated with tourism, diaspora travel, and higher demand at airports serving destinations such as Marrakesh, Agadir, Tangier, Fez, Nador, and Oujda. Europe is the principal international traffic region, with France and other European markets accounting for most international movements. The authority is pursuing a major airport-capacity programme in anticipation of continued tourism growth and Morocco’s co-hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup with Spain and Portugal. The programme is intended to raise national airport capacity from 36 million passengers in 2025 to 80 million by 2030. Projects include modernization work at Marrakesh Menara and Agadir–Al Massira airports and a new terminal at Mohammed V International Airport. The Casablanca airport project is intended to increase annual capacity from 15 million passengers in 2025 to 35 million by 2030. Airports of Morocco is therefore best understood as a public infrastructure and aviation-services institution, not as a conventional consumer brand.

Morocco’s airports and air-navigation services were originally administered directly by the state through the ministry responsible for transport. A more autonomous model emerged after the construction and commissioning of a new terminal at Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca. In 1980, the government created the Office des aéroports de Casablanca, the first dedicated public body for airport management. Its initial remit was limited to Casablanca, but the organization became an early test of whether autonomous airport administration could improve infrastructure development and operating performance. The creation of the Casablanca office was associated with a broader national policy to expand and modernize Morocco’s communications and transport infrastructure. In a 3 March 1981 Throne Speech, King Hassan II emphasized the development of the communications network, the increase in the number of airports, and the modernization of facilities to international standards. The reported results of the Casablanca experiment supported extending the approach beyond the city. The institutional transition was formalized through Law No. 14-89 and Decree No. 2-89-480, dated 30 December 1989. These measures transformed the Office des aéroports de Casablanca into the Office national des aéroports, giving the institution a national identity and progressively broadening its responsibilities. From 1990 onward, the body’s remit extended to Morocco’s airports and air-navigation services. A royal decision in 1991 attached all air-navigation services to the institution, consolidating its position as the principal public operator and infrastructure manager for civil aviation in the Kingdom. Over time, the authority’s responsibilities came to include airport administration, terminal and airside operations, infrastructure maintenance and development, aviation safety and security, and air-navigation control. It also became a source of national aviation statistics, publishing information on passenger traffic, aircraft movements, and cargo activity. These reports provide a picture of the country’s air-transport development. Passenger demand is particularly concentrated in the summer, when tourism and travel by Moroccans living in Europe increase traffic at airports serving Marrakesh, Agadir, Tangier, northern Morocco, and other major destinations. Europe remains the dominant international traffic region, while domestic, African, Middle Eastern, Asian, and North American flows form smaller portions of the overall market. The authority has also participated in international cooperation. It helped supervise the construction of Yasser Arafat International Airport and developed a twinning relationship with Mohammed V International Airport. In 1997, it organized training programmes in Morocco for Palestinian engineers several months before the Gaza airport’s inauguration in December 1998. On 12 March 2003, it signed a partnership agreement with Côte d’Azur International Airport in Nice, France. In May 2021, the institution announced plans for an end-of-life aircraft storage, dismantling, and recycling facility near Oujda-Angad Airport. In 2025, the Office national des aéroports officially adopted the name Airports of Morocco. The rebranding coincided with a large airport-investment programme designed to support tourism, rising passenger demand, and the infrastructure requirements associated with the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Projects include modernization at Marrakesh Menara and Agadir–Al Massira, as well as a new terminal at Mohammed V International Airport. The programme targets an increase in national annual capacity from 36 million passengers in 2025 to 80 million by 2030. Mohammed V, which handled 15 million passengers in 2025 according to the reference material, is planned to reach annual capacity of 35 million by 2030.

• 2025

  Institution renamed Airports of Morocco

  [1]Airports of Moroccoen.wikipedia.org

  The Office national des aéroports officially adopted the name Airports of Morocco.

• 2025

  National airport-capacity expansion programme advanced

  [1]Airports of Moroccoen.wikipedia.org

  Modernization and construction projects were advanced at Marrakesh Menara, Agadir–Al Massira, and Mohammed V International Airport, supporting a target of 80 million passengers of annual national capacity by 2030.

• 2021

  Aircraft end-of-life facility announced

  [1]Airports of Moroccoen.wikipedia.org

  The institution announced plans for a storage, dismantling, and recycling facility for retired aircraft near Oujda-Angad Airport.

• 2003

  Partnership agreement with Côte d’Azur International Airport

  [1]Airports of Moroccoen.wikipedia.org

  On 12 March 2003, the authority signed a partnership agreement with Côte d’Azur International Airport in Nice, France.

• 1997

  Training cooperation with Palestinian aviation engineers

  [1]Airports of Moroccoen.wikipedia.org

  The institution organized training programmes in Morocco for Palestinian engineers connected with the development of Yasser Arafat International Airport.

• 1991

  Air-navigation services attached to the institution

  [1]Airports of Moroccoen.wikipedia.org

  A royal decision consolidated the authority’s national aviation role by placing all air-navigation services under its responsibility.

• 1989

  Office national des aéroports formally established

  [1]Airports of Moroccoen.wikipedia.org

  Law No. 14-89 and Decree No. 2-89-480 transformed the Casablanca airport office into the nationally scoped Office national des aéroports.

• 1981

  National airport-modernization policy articulated

  [1]Airports of Moroccoen.wikipedia.org

  A Throne Speech by King Hassan II called for expanded and modernized communications infrastructure and additional airports, reinforcing the policy direction behind the autonomous airport-management model.

• 1980

  Office des aéroports de Casablanca created

  [1]Airports of Moroccoen.wikipedia.org

  Morocco established its first autonomous public airport-management body after the development of a new terminal at Mohammed V International Airport. The new office initially focused on Casablanca.

Morocco’s national public airport infrastructure and aviation-services authority

• airport management · 1980

  Airport operations

  Operational management of Morocco’s civil airports, including coordination of terminal, airside, passenger, airline, and airport-support activities. This is an institutional service rather than a packaged consumer product, and its delivery varies by airport, traffic profile, and infrastructure.

• aviation infrastructure · 1980

  Airport infrastructure management

  Planning, maintenance, modernization, and development of airport infrastructure across Morocco. The scope includes terminals and associated facilities required for aircraft operations, passenger processing, safety, security, and commercial airport activity.

• air traffic services · 1991

  Air-navigation services

  Air-navigation control and related services within the Kingdom of Morocco. These responsibilities became part of the institution’s consolidated national remit in 1991 and support the safe and orderly movement of aircraft using Moroccan airspace and airports.

• passenger services

  Passenger and terminal services

  Public-facing airport services that support arriving and departing passengers, including the operation of passenger-processing environments and coordination with airlines, security services, and other airport stakeholders.

• airport development · 2025

  Airport modernization programmes

  Large-scale capacity and modernization projects intended to accommodate Morocco’s expected growth in tourism and international travel. Current plans include work at Marrakesh Menara, Agadir–Al Massira, and Mohammed V International Airport, with national capacity targeted to rise substantially by 2030.

• 20252030 airport-capacity expansion programme

  Morocco

  A national infrastructure programme focused on expanding and modernizing Morocco’s airports ahead of expected tourism growth and the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

  Outcome. The stated objective is to increase national annual airport capacity from 36 million passengers in 2025 to 80 million by 2030.

  Source
• 1997Palestinian airport-engineer training programme

  Morocco · Palestine

  Airports of Morocco supported international aviation cooperation by organizing training in Morocco for Palestinian engineers involved in the development of Yasser Arafat International Airport.

  Outcome. The programme took place several months before the Gaza airport’s inauguration in December 1998.

  Source

• 2025

  Rebrand as Airports of MoroccoStrategy

  Background

  The former Office national des aéroports had a national mandate extending beyond the institution’s historical name.

  Action taken

  The organization officially changed its name to Airports of Morocco.

  Aftermath

  The new identity emphasizes the institution’s national airport network and international-facing role.

  Source

• 2025

  Advance airport expansion and modernizationStrategy

  Background

  Morocco is preparing for continued passenger growth and the infrastructure demands associated with the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

  Action taken

  The authority advanced modernization projects at Marrakesh Menara and Agadir–Al Massira and planned a new terminal at Mohammed V International Airport.

  Aftermath

  The programme targets national annual capacity of 80 million passengers by 2030, while Mohammed V is planned to reach 35 million passengers of annual capacity.

  Reported combined value of Marrakesh Menara and Agadir–Al Massira modernization contracts. More than MAD 4.4 billion (2025)

  Source

• 2021

  Plan an aircraft-recycling facilityStrategy

  Background

  The authority identified a potential need for dedicated infrastructure for aircraft reaching the end of their operating lives.

  Action taken

  It announced plans for storage, dismantling, and recycling facilities near Oujda-Angad Airport.

  Aftermath

  The reference material does not confirm the facility’s completion or operating status.

  Source

• 1991

  Consolidate air-navigation responsibilitiesStrategy

  Background

  The national authority’s airport remit was being expanded as part of Morocco’s aeronautical-sector development policy.

  Action taken

  A royal decision attached all air-navigation services to the institution.

  Aftermath

  The authority became responsible for both airport management and national air-navigation control.

  Source

• 1989

  Create a national airport authorityStrategy

  Background

  The Casablanca office’s responsibilities were being extended beyond the city, requiring a nationally scoped institutional structure.

  Action taken

  Law No. 14-89 and Decree No. 2-89-480 transformed the Office des aéroports de Casablanca into the Office national des aéroports.

  Aftermath

  The institution progressively assumed responsibility for Morocco’s airports and, later, air-navigation services.

  Source

• 1980

  Adopt autonomous airport managementStrategy

  Background

  Morocco sought a new management structure after the development of a new terminal at Mohammed V International Airport and broader plans to modernize airport infrastructure.

  Action taken

  The government created the Office des aéroports de Casablanca as a dedicated public airport-management body.

  Aftermath

  The Casablanca model became the foundation for a national airport authority.

  Source

• Unconfirmed

  Airports of Morocco introduces self-service baggage drop at Rabat-Salé Airport[2]摩洛哥机场在拉巴特-塞拉机场推出自助行李托运northafricapost.com

  Airports of Morocco announced that Rabat-Salé Airport introduced self-service baggage drop kiosks. Six kiosks were installed at Terminal 2 for Ryanair passengers.

Read more

1. 1Airports of Moroccoen.wikipedia.org
2. 2摩洛哥机场在拉巴特-塞拉机场推出自助行李托运northafricapost.com