Rédaction Africa Links 24 with alm
Published on 2024-04-05 21:15:34
The Ministry of Tourism, Handicrafts, and Social and Solidarity Economy stated that Ryanair did not receive any subsidy or financial assistance for its domestic flights in Morocco, in response to questions raised by some media outlets. In response to concerns about any financial support provided to Ryanair by the Moroccan National Tourist Office (ONMT) for domestic flights, the ministry clarified in a statement that “no subsidy or financial contribution has been granted to Ryanair to operate domestic flights in Morocco. This has been established from the beginning and will remain unchanged.”
Regarding the point about the “direct competition that the partnership with Ryanair would represent for Royal Air Maroc (RAM),” the ministry stressed that “the objective of this partnership, as with all airline partnerships, is complementarity,” noting that Ryanair’s flights do not overlap with those of national carriers, thus contributing to the horizontal development of connectivity and interconnection between regions.
The ministry also supported that the air links offered by Ryanair (such as Tangier-Essaouira, Oujda-Marrakech, Fes-Agadir) help strengthen the interconnection between Moroccan regions, promote domestic tourism, and allow foreign tourists to extend their stays by discovering regions that were previously difficult to access.
Regarding the issue of alleged requests for payment in euros for domestic flights despite the obligation to sell these flights in dirhams to Moroccan citizens, the ministry reported that “Ryanair and its teams are actively working to resolve the issue of transactions deducted from the tourism allocation.” Furthermore, the ministry reminded that the recent successes of Moroccan tourism, including reaching a record of 14.5 million tourists in 2023, demonstrate the exceptional potential of the destination Morocco. The ambitious goals of the roadmap and upcoming events such as the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 and the World Cup 2030 make it imperative to maximize air capacities. The real challenge is a challenge of development and not protectionism.
To do this, Morocco must rely on its national airlines, as well as on the strength of all international flagship or low-cost airlines. Finally, it is important to remember that the ambitious program contract signed by the government with RAM, aiming to increase its fleet to 200 aircraft by 2037, offers the company considerable and unprecedented means for its expansion and development.
Read the original article(French) on Aujourdhui.ma
