Ryanair Announces Record Winter 2026/27 Schedule for Morocco Featuring 5.3 Million Seats and New Rabat Base

Redacción - Aviación al Día

23 hours ago

Ryanair has announced its largest-ever winter schedule in Morocco, offering 5.3 million seats across 156 routes. This milestone expansion is driven by the opening of its fifth operating base in the country—located in Rabat—and a total investment reaching $1.6 billion.

Record Expansion and New International Connections

The schedule for the Winter 2026/27 season represents a significant expansion of Ryanair’s footprint in North Africa. The carrier will connect Morocco to 14 countries, enabling millions of European visitors to explore the Kingdom’s imperial cities, Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines, Atlas mountain ranges, and desert landscapes.

Key highlights of the schedule include the launch of 17 new international routes, boosting regional connectivity across multiple Moroccan airports:

Rabat: New flights to European capitals and major metropolitan areas, including Stockholm (Sweden) and Kraków (Poland).
Marrakesh: Added service to Wrocław (Poland).
Agadir: Expanded connectivity with new routes to Milan (Italy), Nuremberg (Germany), Bratislava (Slovakia), and Gdańsk (Poland).

→ Ryanair Hits Record 22.2 Million Passengers in July

Capacity Boost and Strategic Investment

Ryanair’s operational plan for the winter season involves large-scale figures for the country’s aviation and tourism sectors:

5.3 million low-cost seats: An increase of over 580,000 seats (+12%) compared to the previous winter season.
156-route network: Including the 17 new operational additions.
16 based aircraft: The addition of two new aircraft at the Rabat base, bringing direct fleet investment to $1.6 billion.
Employment impact: Supporting over 8,500 local jobs, including 480 highly compensated positions for pilots and cabin crew.

Regional Development and Airport Infrastructure

The opening of the new base in Rabat marks the airline’s fifth operating base in the Kingdom. The record schedule will serve 13 Moroccan airports, bolstering point-to-point connectivity, driving inbound tourism, and accelerating economic development in communities nationwide—including Fez, Tetouan, Essaouira, Ouarzazate, Dakhla, and Nador.

Ryanair Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Eddie Wilson highlighted the strategic significance of this investment for the airline’s future in the region:

“Ryanair is delighted to announce our largest-ever winter schedule for Morocco, delivering 5.3 million low-fare seats across 156 routes, including 17 exciting new routes and the opening of our new Rabat base for the winter. This latest investment brings Ryanair’s Moroccan operational fleet to 16 based aircraft—representing a $1.6 billion investment—and supporting over 8,500 local jobs.”

“Morocco has become one of Ryanair’s fastest-growing and most vital markets. Our record Winter 2026 schedule will drive year-round connectivity across the Kingdom, stimulate inbound tourism from across Europe, support regional economic development, and help deliver Morocco’s ambitious tourism growth strategy ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2030.”

With this record deployment for Winter 2026/27, Ryanair consolidates its strategic position in North Africa and strengthens the air transport infrastructure required to support Morocco’s national tourism goals ahead of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.