(Posted 05th August 2026)
Courtesy of Mr. Alex Koech and AeroTrail Limited
Marrakech Menara International Airport (RAK) narrowly overtook Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) to become Morocco‘s busiest airport by airline seat capacity during the first half of 2026.
RAK offered 6,647,658 airline seats, marginally ahead of CMN‘s 6,641,771 seats, while handling 5,636,776 passengers, representing a 10.4% year-on-year increase from 5,105,518 passengers in H1 2025. This translated into an impressive 84.5% average passenger load factor, highlighting strong demand across the airport’s network.
Following a relatively volatile first quarter, airline capacity stabilized as the second quarter commenced, with April recording the highest monthly seat capacity at 1,221,812 seats. The busiest operating day was 21 February 2026, when airlines offered 46,841 seats, while 21 January recorded the lowest daily capacity with 24,560 seats.
Inter-Continental services continued to dominate operations, with 94.4% of all available seats deployed on inter-Continental routes, while domestic and intra-African services accounted for just 5.6%. The figures underscore the continued impact of the Morocco – European_Union Open Skies Agreement, which has transformed Morocco into one of Africa’s most liberalized aviation markets.
France remained Marrakech‘s largest international market. Paris Orly Airport led with 507,570 seats, followed by Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport with 335,326 seats, together accounting for 12.7% of the airport’s total seat capacity during the period. London Gatwick ranked third with 320,974 seats.
Among airlines, Ryanair – Europe’s Favourite Airline maintained its dominant position with 2,333,698 seats (35% market share), followed by easyJet (1,295,376 seats), Transavia (820,204 seats), and national carrier Royal Air Maroc (360,038 seats).
Discover more insights, market trends, airline rankings, and route performance in the infographic below
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