Ryanair, an Ireland-based low cost airline, has announced two new bases to open in Morocco in 2013.
The two new bases will be opening at Fez and Marrakech, which will be hosting a total of three aircraft, and the company is planning to invest around £130 million in Morocco for developing the facilities.
The airline has also announced two new destinations in Morocco, Essaouira and Rabat, adding the total destinations in Morocco to eight, and offering around 60 routes to the country in 2013. The new facilities developed in Morocco are likely to generate around 2,500 jobs for around 2.5m passengers expected to travel through the country in Ryanair flights.
The airline head of communications, Stephen McNamara, said, ‘Ryanair is delighted to announce our first two bases in Morocco at Fez (No 56) and Marrakech (No 57) and to launch 2 new Morocco airports at Essaouira and Rabat, with flights starting in April. To celebrate our new Moroccan bases and airports, we are launching a 100,000 seat sale with fares starting from €15 for travel across Europe in February and March. Seats at these crazy low prices will be snapped up quickly, so we urge passengers to book them immediately on www.ryanair.com.”
Dr Lahcen Haddad, the minister of tourism of the Kingdom of Morocco, said, ‘The Moroccan tourism sector is very proud of the confidence Ryanair is showing in the capacity of the Moroccan destination to grow and develop to become a leading market in the Mediterranean region.
This long-term commitment, as shown in the implementation of two bases in Fez and Marrakesh, and the opening of two new destinations (Essaouira and Rabat), is the first stage of a comprehensive strategy aiming, for Ryanair, to build a profitable business based on the huge growth potential of Moroccan tourism, as planned within the framework of Vision 2020.’
