Air Arabia, a leading low-cost airline, officially inaugurated connections out of Rabat-Sale Airport on Tuesday, Morocco’s News Agency (MAP) reported.
The new international destinations added to the airline’s network connect Rabat to Barcelona, Spain; Basel, Switzerland; Istanbul, Turkey; Brussels, Belgium; and Paris, France.
Minister of Tourism, Handicrafts, and Social and Solidarity Economy Fatima Zahra Ammor stated that Rabat is experiencing a tourism boom and that air connections are an essential factor in the 2023-2026 tourism roadmap.
“The Ministry will step up its efforts with international airlines to reach the target of 17.5 million tourists by 2026,” she added.
Laila Mechbal, Head of Air Arabia Maroc, stated that the new hub will enable the launch of 14 international weekly flights and the introduction of three domestic flights between Rabat and Agadir, bringing the total to seven domestic flights per week.
Regarding international flights, she said that Air Arabia offers five flights to Paris, three to Barcelona, and two each to Brussels, Basel, and Istanbul.
Tayeb Meziane, head of the operations department at the airport, has reported that the facility is experiencing significant growth. During the first four months of 2024, the airport welcomed 484,890 passengers, an increase of 35% over the same period in 2023.
Meziane elaborated, “To accommodate the increasing air traffic, a new terminal is currently being constructed at the airport. This will provide the capital with modern, state-of-the-art infrastructure capable of serving four million passengers annually.”