Flying to Marrakech

Marrakech-Menara Airport

Marrakech-Menara Airport is the country's second busiest, just behind Casablanca. It offers all the facilities and services (currency exchange and more) of major airports. As a holiday destination, Marrakech benefits from numerous seasonal or charter flights from France as well as the rest of Europe, including Eastern Europe. Its maximum capacity is 4.5 million passengers per year.

Airport details

Name: Marrakech-Menara Airport.

IATA code: RAK

Hub: no

Number of terminals: 3

Passenger capacity per year: 4.5 million

Passenger traffic: 4.034 million (2014)

Distance from city centre: 5 km from central Marrakech

Website: http://www.onda.ma

Services

Marrakech offers the main facilities and services of major airports. In addition to the usual shops, bars, and restaurants, you’ll find several currency exchange offices (both landside and airside), public telephones, and a paid Wi-Fi service via credit card or prepaid vouchers sold at the airport. Around a dozen car rental agencies are also on-site.

Sleeping at the airport

Transport to the city centre

Public transport

The urban bus No. 19 operated by Alsa departs every half-hour (from 6:00 AM to 12:30 AM) from the Terminal 1 parking lot to the city centre and Jemaa el-Fna. Fares ("airport special") are 30 MAD (2.50 €) one-way and 50 MAD (4.50 €) return.

Alternatively, 500 metres outside the airport on Avenue Guemassa, you can catch other buses like the 11 or 18, which go to Marrakech’s bus station with a stop at Jemaa el-Fna. Here, the ticket price is the standard urban fare, around 3 or 4 MAD. However, it’s best not to be too encumbered, given the crowds at certain times.

Taxis

Taxis are also available outside the terminal. They are logically the most expensive option, with a night-time surcharge. They are supposed to have a meter with fares also displayed inside the airport. That said, many drivers don’t hesitate to ask for exorbitant prices, exceeding 100 MAD (around 10 €) for a trip to the city centre, when the fare should be about half that. In any case, make sure the price is clearly stated before getting in—remember that the fare is for the taxi, not per person. Another option is to leave the airport and take a taxi outside.

On foot

As a last resort, since the airport is 5 km from the centre, the journey can always be made on foot for the most determined. The Koutoubia minaret is a good landmark in the city centre.

Other nearby airports

Essaouira (175 km), Ouarzazate (205 km), Casablanca (240 km), and Agadir (275 km) are other airports in the region. So there’s plenty of choice and alternatives for those wanting to explore beyond Marrakech.

Airlines and destinations

Marrakech is served by around forty airlines, though many offer charter or seasonal flights, as well as low-cost options. Over 90% of direct destinations are European, with the rest in Morocco or the Canary Islands. For any other destination, a connection via Europe or Casablanca (Royal Air Maroc’s hub) is necessary.

Domestic

Fès, Tangier, and Zagora (Air Arabia), Laâyoune (RAM), and especially Casablanca (RAM), which offers multiple Royal Air Maroc connections to European and other countries, are the Moroccan cities with year-round flights to Marrakech.

Europe

Main year-round direct destinations. Many other seasonal or charter flights also operate.

Germany: Berlin (EasyJet) + Frankfurt/Hahn (Ryanair) + Munich (RAM) + Weeze (Ryanair).

Belgium: Brussels (Brussels Airlines + Jetairfly + Thomas Cook) + Charleroi (Ryanair) + Liège (Thomas Cook).

Spain: Barcelona (TUIfly) + Girona (Ryanair) + Madrid (Air Nostrum + RAM + Ryanair) + Seville (Ryanair). Also Gibraltar (RAM).

France: Beauvais (Ryanair) + Bordeaux (EasyJet + RAM + Ryanair) + Châlons/Vatry (Ryanair) + Lyon (EasyJet + RAM + Transavia) + Marseille (Air France + RAM + Ryanair) + Nantes (EasyJet + Transavia) + Nice (EasyJet + RAM) + Nîmes (Ryanair) + Paris CDG (Air France + EasyJet) + Paris Orly (RAM + Transavia) + Perpignan (Ryanair) + Poitiers (Ryanair) + Toulouse (Air France + EasyJet + RAM) + Tours (Ryanair) + seasonal or charter flights.

United Kingdom: Birmingham (Thomson Airways) + Bristol (EasyJet + Thomson Airways) + Glasgow (Thomson Airways) + London (British Airways + EasyJet + RAM + Ryanair + Thomson Airways) + Manchester (EasyJet + Thomson Airways).

Italy: Bergamo (Ryanair) + Bologna (Jetairfly) + Milan (EasyJet + Jetairfly + RAM) + Pisa (Ryanair) + Rome (Ryanair).

Luxembourg: Luxembourg (Luxair).

Netherlands: Amsterdam (Corendon + Transavia) + Eindhoven (Ryanair) + Rotterdam (Transavia).

Switzerland: Basel/Mulhouse (EasyJet + TUIfly) + Geneva (EasyJet + RAM + Swiss) + Zurich (Swiss).

Other European cities: Copenhagen, Dublin, Lisbon, Oslo, Stockholm, Vienna...

Other

Canary Islands: Gran Canaria and Tenerife (Binter).

Choosing your flight

From France

Price range: 150 €–400.

Flight duration (direct): 3 to 4 hours.

There’s plenty of choice from France, especially in season when the city is well-served for holidays. At this time, depending on where you live, it may be useful to check what’s available from your home city as well as nearby airports. Note that Agadir and Casablanca are also not far from Marrakech and benefit from numerous year-round flights.

Price ranges are generally similar and vary more by season or flight type (scheduled, low-cost, charter). In general, low-cost airlines are often a good deal.

From elsewhere

Belgium and Switzerland

Same as for France.

Quebec

Generally, you’ll need to connect via Casablanca (Royal Air Maroc’s base with flights to Montreal) or France before continuing to Marrakech.