Ryanair's Enhanced Winter Schedule for Morocco
On August 6, Ryanair, the Irish low-cost airline, unveiled its plans to increase connectivity between Rabat and Porto, launching four flights weekly as part of its largest winter program yet for Morocco. This announcement, published by the airline and echoed by the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT), highlights the significance of this route among the seventeen new destinations introduced for the season. With a comprehensive network encompassing 156 routes and a staggering 5.3 million seats available, Ryanair is set to bolster travel options significantly.
This route to Portugal's second-largest city is not entirely new; it was initially inaugurated on April 8 at Rabat-Salé Airport with two weekly flights operating on Mondays and Thursdays. This launch coincided with the establishment of Ryanair's fifth base in Morocco, catering to both tourist demand and the needs of the Moroccan community residing in Portugal. The increase in flight frequency to four per week will commence with the winter season, enhancing accessibility for travelers.
Rabat Leads in New Route Openings
According to the ONMT, Rabat accounts for seven of the announced seventeen new routes, outpacing Marrakech and Agadir, each of which features five new connections. Among the new destinations are Rabat-Stockholm, Rabat-Krakow, and the introduction of routes from Marrakech to Wroclaw, as well as several new services from Agadir to Milan, Nuremberg, Bratislava, and Gdańsk. This expansion will facilitate travel to fourteen European countries and connect with thirteen Moroccan airports, including those in Fes, Tetouan, Essaouira, Ouarzazate, Dakhla, and Nador.
Ryanair has committed to basing sixteen aircraft in Morocco, with two stationed in Rabat alone, representing an investment of $1.6 billion. The airline anticipates offering 580,000 additional seats compared to the previous winter, marking a 12% increase, and supporting over 8,500 local jobs, including 480 positions for pilots and cabin crew. For the winter season of 2026-2027, Ryanair plans to provide a total of 80 million seats across 1,700 routes in thirty-five countries, with more than 140 new routes aimed primarily at Central and Eastern Europe and North Africa.
This winter schedule, which Ryanair claims will enhance connectivity throughout Morocco year-round, is expected to promote inbound tourism from Europe and stimulate regional economic development. The airline connects this initiative to Morocco's tourism growth strategy and the upcoming World Cup in 2030. The ONMT sees this as an opportunity to distribute tourist flows across various regions and to spotlight destinations that remain underrepresented in key European markets.
The establishment of Rabat's base was first announced on December 17, with two aircraft set to be stationed there from April and twenty routes scheduled for the summer of 2026, including seven new ones — Milan-Bergamo, Baden-Baden, Frankfurt-Hahn, Nuremberg, Porto, Pisa, and Valencia. At that time, Ryanair projected a 45% increase in capacity at Rabat and more than 10.7 million passengers traveling to, from, and within Morocco.
As reported by barlamane.com.
