Morocco has signed a €270m financing deal with the African Development Bank to expand four major airports ahead of a expected rise in air travel and freight. The money will be used to upgrade airports in Marrakech, Agadir, Fez and Tangier. Their combined capacity is expected to reach 25.6 million passengers a year by 2030.
Marrakech airport will be able to handle 14 million passengers a year. Agadir will reach five million, Tangier 3.6 million and Fez three million.
The agreement was signed in Casablanca on Tuesday. Sidi Ould Tah, identified in the announcement as president of the African Development Bank Group, and Nadia Fettah, the Minister of Economy and Finance, attended the signing.
Achraf Tarsim, the African Development Bank’s country manager for Morocco, and Adel El Fakir, director general of the National Airports Office, signed the agreement.
Tamwilcom is providing the financial guarantee for the deal. Its director general, Said Joubrane, also attended the ceremony.
The work will cover much more than expanding terminals. The four airports will get new air navigation systems, better security equipment, automated baggage systems and digital tools to help passengers move through airports more quickly.
The upgrades will also reduce processing times, improve services and bring airport operations and safety closer to international standards.
The project is part of preparations for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
It also supports a tourism plan that aims to bring 26 million visitors to the country by 2030.
The National Airports Office is speeding up airport expansion projects across the country. Royal Air Maroc is also planning to expand its fleet as passenger numbers are expected to increase.
The financing is part of the African Development Bank’s wider Integrated Aviation Transformation Programme in Africa. The programme supports African countries in developing and connecting their air transport systems, with a focus on safety and competitiveness.
Nadia Fettah said the African Development Bank has a long history of financing major reforms and infrastructure projects in Morocco.
The airport programme is expected to create thousands of jobs during construction, with a particular focus on women and young people.
More airport capacity is also expected to bring new public and private investment in aviation services, tourism and logistics over the medium term.
The African Development Bank is one of the country’s biggest institutional partners. It currently has about 40 active projects in Morocco worth around €3.5bn.
The bank is also involved in several other major projects.
In renewable energy, it financed the 580MW Noor Ouarzazate solar complex and the 800MW Noor-Midelt solar complex. It is also funding an 850MW wind power project spread across five farms and the 350MW Abdelmoumen pumped-storage power station.
The bank has also helped finance the Nador-West Med port complex, with financing that brought total construction cost support to €897m. The port is designed to strengthen maritime trade.
In July 2026, the bank added the Gotion Power Morocco 10GWh electric vehicle battery cell factory to its project pipeline. The project supports plans to develop battery manufacturing.
The bank is also helping deal with drought and pressure on agriculture and water supplies.
It recently allocated €199m to a resilient cereal farming programme that is expected to support nearly one million small-scale farmers.
A further €114m is supporting an inclusive development programme in agricultural areas. The bank is also financing the modernisation of irrigation networks.
The African Development Bank also provides financing to local businesses.
One example is a €70m trade-finance facility for Bank of Africa Morocco. The facility is designed to help small and medium-sized businesses working in the automotive, health and agricultural sectors.
