Passenger traffic at Morocco’s 21 airports grew by 13 per cent in the first half of 2018 compared to the corresponding period last year, according to the Office National des Aeroports (ONDA).

The country’s largest airport, Casablanca Mohammed V International, accounted for 43 per cent of the total traffic that reached 10.5 million passengers in the first six months of 2018.

The Casablanca airport, along with the airports in Marrakech and Agadir accounted for over three-quarters of the total passenger traffic.

International passenger traffic accounted for 89 per cent of the total, growing by 12.7 per cent during the period.

The number of European travelers grew by 15 per cent between January and June 2018 and accounted for over 75 per cent of the total number of international passengers that passed through Morocco’s airports.

Overall passenger traffic at Morocco’s airports grew by 11.6 per cent, reaching 20.34 million, in 2017.

Morocco, like Tunisia and Egypt, is an established seaside holiday destination, with European tourists often choosing between the three countries.

The Moroccan Airports Authority has been undertaking projects to upgrade the capacity of seven airports in the country, including the two terminals at Casablanca’s Mohammed V International airport.

The expansion of Mohammed V’s Terminal 1 involves building additional capacity for 7 million passengers a year. Construction work was set to start in 2017 on the upgrade of Terminal 2, which triple the existing capacity to 9 million passengers a year.

The expansion of Terminal 1 is estimated to cost MD1.64bn ($164m), while the planned Terminal 2 upgrade would require $99.7m.

A new terminal is planned at the Fes Saiss airport. The project has a budget of $47.9m and a design capacity of 2 million passengers annually.

The construction of a new terminal, costing an estimated $137m, is also under way at the Marrakech Menara airport.

Minor upgrades for airports in Nador, Guelmim, Errachidia and Ouarzazate are being undertaken. These improvements cost $13.5m, $24.8m, $8.8m and $1.7m respectively.