Marrakech-Menara Airport has been named the best regional airport in Africa at the 2026 World Airport Awards in London. The news was announced on 18 March at the PTE World event.
This is the first time the airport has won this title. The award comes from the National Airports Office (ONDA)’s “Airports 2030” plan, which aims to make airports better for passengers, modernize facilities, and run operations more efficiently.
The ranking is based on the world’s biggest airport survey, done from August 2025 to February 2026. Passengers from more than 100 countries gave feedback on 565 airports worldwide.
Marrakech-Menara’s Terminal 3, opened in 2016, raised the airport’s capacity to 9 million passengers a year. A new expansion is now underway, with the terminal set to handle 16 million passengers and cover about 142,000 square metres. The project also includes new access roads, more parking, and improved landscaping.
The airport’s “Let’s Take Off” program focuses on making travel smoother for passengers. It includes things like biometric check-in, automated boarding, energy-saving building designs, rainwater recycling, and better-trained staff to help travelers quickly. Moroccan hospitality is also highlighted to make visitors feel welcome.
Moroccan airports handled a record 36.3 million passengers in 2025. In January 2026, traffic was up nearly 15% compared with the previous year, with more travelers coming from the Americas (+30%) and Africa (+29%). Marrakech-Menara is now one of Africa’s busiest and most efficient airports and a key entry point to Morocco.
The Airports 2030 plan is a MAD 38 billion ($3.8 billion) investment to more than double Morocco’s airport capacity from 34 million to 80 million passengers by 2030. The plan also supports preparations for Morocco to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
