Services that will be canceled include Nador-Girona, Nador-Madrid, Oujda-Marseille, Oujda-Brussels Charleroi and Fez-London Stansted. Ryanair will also reduce the number of weekly flights on Tangier-Madrid, Fez-Brussels Charleroi and Marrakech-London Luton routes.
Ryanair claims Morocco’s airports authority, ONDA, has introduced sharp increases in airport charges. The airline had an agreement with ONDA and Moroccan Tourism Authority that offered lower airport charges to Ryanair. The agreement was part of the Moroccan government’s five-year plan to expand its tourism industry.
Michael Cawley, Ryanair Deputy chief executive, said,
It is regrettable that ONDA has now lost sight of the key to the success of our partnership, offering low fares based on low costs. Ryanair cannot accept cost increases as it seeks to deliver more growth to Morocco.
Cawley added,
Ryanair will now allocate this capacity elsewhere to the many markets earnestly seeking Ryanair's growth and that are offering long term, sustainable cost bases to underpin Ryanair's guaranteed low fares.
According to Ryanair, the airline has become Morocco's second largest airline and its withdrawal is likely to Morocco about €50m revenue and 100,000 tourists every year.
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While I understand Ryanair's decision (and Morocco is just shooting itself in the foot with these anti-growth anti-tourism measures particularly given the current state of their economy), Ryanair's publicist needs a reality check. The photo celebrating their first flight to Marrakech depicts a Bactrian camel, which is Asian and not present in Morocco. It's baffling for an international airline and makes me think the plane will end up in Mongolia instead of Marrakech. Then again, given their low cost focus, maybe the daily dromedary rate was too much.
The planes on their fleet are considerably clean for a budget airline; but you do have to pay a lot of money for food and drink, and there is not very much leg space and no inflight entertainment systems. It is fine for use on short flights but not for longer flights that last over 2 and a half hours. You also have to remember to use the toilet before boarding the plane!