Details of $440 million contracts to expand Marrakesh, Agadir airports

Morocco’s airports authority has awarded contracts worth 4.4 billion dirhams ($440 million) to expand and modernize the passenger terminals of Marrakesh Menara and Agadir Al Massira airports as part of its “Airports 2030” strategy.

The National Airports Office (ONDA) said Jet Contractors, a Moroccan firm, won a 2.2 billion dirham contract to expand Marrakesh’s terminal after submitting the “most advanced” bid compared to rival groups TGCC/Inter Tridim and SGTM.

The project will enlarge the passenger terminal to about 142,000 square meters, with upgrades to access roads, landscaping, the city-facing forecourt and the runway side of the facility.

Decorative water fountains are also planned. The expansion aims to raise the airport’s annual passenger capacity from 9 million to 16 million.

In Agadir, ONDA awarded a 2.2 billion dirham contract to SGTM, which offered the lowest-cost bid.

The revamp will expand the passenger terminal to about 75,000 square meters, including 23,800 square meters for renovating the existing facility and 51,200 square meters of new space.

The works will also cover road infrastructure, parking areas and the main access route. Capacity is expected to more than double, from 3 million passengers annually to 7 million.

The two contracts form part of Morocco’s 38 billion dirham ($3.8 billion) “Airports 2030” plan, unveiled in February, which calls for expanding Marrakesh, Agadir, Tangier and Fez airports, as well as building a new hub terminal and runway at Casablanca’s Mohammed V International Airport.

ONDA chief Abdelkader Fikri said most projects are scheduled to be delivered before 2028, with Casablanca’s expansion expected to be completed in 2029. About 25 billion dirhams will go to the Casablanca hub, while 13 billion dirhams will fund maintenance, modernization and land acquisition to ensure flexibility and sustainability across the network.