Morocco to spend $4.2 billion to expand airports ahead of World Cup

RABAT: Morocco said on Thursday it will spend 38 billion dirhams ($4.2 billion) over the next five years to overhaul its main airports, ahead of the World Cup it will cohost with Portugal and Spain.

An agreement was signed to that end between the Moroccan government and the airports authority ONDA, the government said in a statement.

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Under the deal, 25 billion dirhams will be allocated to airport expansion and 13 billion dirhams will go to maintenance and land acquisition.

The government plans to expand its airport capacity to 80 million passengers by 2030 from 38 million currently.

In May, Morocco issued two expressions of interest to identify bidders for its plan to build a new terminal that will increase capacity at its largest airport in Casablanca by 20 million passengers.

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Morocco reported a record 17.4 million visitors last year, up 20 per cent from 2023, and it expects to attract 26 million tourists in 2030.