In Morocco, Fès airport opens up to the world and takes off
Fès Airport now offers an additional capacity of 2.5 million passengers, to meet the growing attractiveness of Morocco’s spiritual city
In the hall of the new terminal of Fès-Saiss airport, the first rays of dawn filter through large bay windows, reminiscent of the elegant “moucharabiehs”, a subtle blend of the architectural tradition of the Cherifian Kingdom and an art more contemporary.
Built by the National Airports Office (ONDA), this terminal was designed by a Moroccan architect and built by national companies. Here, the finely chiseled forms reveal the know-how of the craftsmen of the city of Fès while the clean lines assume their share of modernity. In this meeting point between tradition and avant-gardism, travelers crisscross the many shops, in search of a souvenir, when a voice resounds in the terminal: “Passengers bound for Lyon are invited to board at gate no. 1.”
Lyon, Frankfurt, London and many other cities… So many destinations, most of which opened in 2017, which illustrate the new international dimension of this airport.
Fès airport now offers an additional capacity of 2.5 million passengers, to respond to the growing attractiveness of the spiritual city of Morocco. Between 2016 and 2019, traffic jumped by almost 60%, from 890,000 to 1.4 million passengers.
While the Covid-19 pandemic has slowed down air transport, the ongoing recovery demonstrates the airport’s potential: “Since the resumption of traffic in June 2021, we have observed growth of 5% compared to June 2019”, says the director of the airport, Nourredine Laghni.
Travelers flock from everywhere. For Nabil Ekkadi, a Franco-Moroccan entrepreneur living in Montpellier, this terminal is an opportunity: “I can easily access Europe. I gain in responsiveness and flexibility. It is good for the development of my business”. Today, Nabil has opened a subsidiary on the outskirts of Fès. He is not the only one.
Some airlines have set up their operating base there. This boom has made it possible to hire local personnel: flight attendants, ground managers, etc. An airline pilot confides that Fès airport “is at the level of international standards. Everything is done there to facilitate flows, from welcoming passengers to on-board staff”. Air traffic controllers, ramp agents and technicians, the new terminal raises new hopes.
Originally from the region, Fakir Zineb, a young air traffic controller employed since 2015, says that “since 2017, the aircraft parking lots have been full, the frequency of traffic has increased. It’s much livelier,” she says, before adding: “it’s also a lot more responsibility and work! But now I can travel much more easily all over Europe. “
Welcoming more passengers has also generated a new tourist dynamic. “There are more flights, so more customers. We have increased our turnover by 70%”, rejoices Nadia El Adjouni, manager of a vehicle rental agency. And new, more inclusive professional opportunities have emerged. This is the case for Karima Jamai, hired in 2000: “before 2017, we were 50 people seconded to maintenance. Today, our numbers have doubled. I now manage a team of five people.”
This new terminal has consolidated existing jobs and created others. “With 1.4 million passengers per year, it is a driving force for the local economy, explains Noureddine Laghni. If each of them spends 100 euros, that makes 140 million euros per year for the region.”
The African Development Bank has mobilized 240 million euros for projects launched by ONDA to modernize the country’s airports. For Achraf Hassan Tarsim, the Bank’s country manager in Morocco, “this is an additional link to strengthen integration with Morocco as a regional hub that connects Africa to the rest of the world”.
Driven by this momentum, Nourredine Laghni sees further: “our region must be able to shine further, in particular in areas of the world with which we have plural ties, such as the Middle East… and, why not, the ‘America!”
SOURCE: African Development Bank Group (AfDB)
Distributed by APO Group for African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
