Morocco Secures $305M From AfDB to Modernise Four Airports

Morocco has secured $305 million (€270 million) from the African Development Bank Group to expand and modernise its airports, with passenger and cargo traffic still climbing.

The financing agreement was signed in Casablanca on September 30. It backs the country's Airport Infrastructure Expansion and Modernisation Programme, or PEMIA, which covers work at Marrakech, Agadir, Fez and Tangier.

Under the programme, terminal and airside capacity will grow through infrastructure upgrades, an overhaul of air-traffic navigation equipment, and tighter safety and security procedures. The spending list includes new screening equipment, automated baggage-handling systems, and digital tools built to move passengers through airports faster.

By 2030, the bank expects annual capacity to reach 14 million passengers at Marrakech, 5 million at Agadir, 3.6 million at Tangier and 3 million at Fez.

The programme is tied to Morocco's Tourism Vision 2030 and to the government's aim of acting as an aviation bridge between Africa, Europe and other markets. Sidi Ould Tah, the bank's president, said the financing supports the modernisation of the airport network and prepares the infrastructure for rising connectivity demands and major international events.

The bank also expects the work to lift tourism, trade and logistics activity, and to draw further public and private investment into aviation. In the near term, it forecasts several thousand jobs, with hiring weighted toward young people and women.

Nadia Fettah, Morocco's Minister of Economy and Finance, said the bank has financed a series of large projects and reforms in the country, including previous investment in airports.

The loan sits under the bank's Integrated Aviation Transformation Program in Africa, which is intended to help African states modernise and connect their air-transport systems.

World Cup deadline

Morocco's airport plans run alongside a much larger infrastructure push. The government is spending more than $20 billion (MAD 190 billion) on rail, roads, airports, stadiums and urban works before the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Portugal and Spain.

In Casablanca, the Moroccan Airports Authority (ONDA) has awarded construction of a new terminal at Mohammed V International Airport for about $1.3 billion (MAD 12.8 billion), which it describes as the largest airport construction project it has undertaken. The terminal is due to open before the tournament as part of the wider Airports 2030 strategy to strengthen Casablanca's role as an international hub.

Accommodation capacity is expanding too. The government plans to add 60,000 hotel beds by 2030, an increase of roughly a fifth on the current stock. Morocco has already added 45,000 beds over the past four years, bringing total capacity to just over 300,000. The country is targeting 26 million visitors by 2030, after welcoming nearly 20 million last year.