Announcements about Marrakech-Menara are multiplying, covering redesigned access, boarding passes on phones and infrastructure expansion. For a traveller, the practical question is simple: what can you use today, and what should you still regard as a project? As of 1 October 2026, several developments are documented, but a funding announcement alone does not prove that a new terminal is open.
The latest news dates from 30 September 2026: the African Development Bank announced a €270 million financing agreement, signed the previous day, for a programme covering several Moroccan airports, including Marrakech. This amount is therefore not the budget for Marrakech-Menara alone. Official AfDB announcement
The starting point: the strategy of 18 February 2025
ONDA presented its Airports 2030 strategy on 18 February 2025. It combines infrastructure expansion, improvements to the passenger experience and transformation of the authority. Marrakech is among the airports earmarked for substantial extensions. ONDA launch announcement
This timetable explains why very different information circulates under the same heading: an entrance traffic change, a digital system and terminal expansion can all form part of the programme without being delivered at the same time. When preparing a flight, examine the nature and date of each announcement.
Announced as completed: access and drop-off areas
In its announcement referenced to 16 April 2025, ONDA describes facilities already offered to passengers in Marrakech and Agadir: redesigned outdoor traffic circulation, reorganised drop-off areas, modernised signs and access directions according to airline. The text uses wording indicating availability, rather than merely an intention. Announcement about the new departure areas
In practice, do not automatically ask your driver to use the drop-off point from a previous stay. Give them the airline and flight number, then follow the signs present on departure day. If several travellers arrive separately, agree on an identifiable meeting place rather than a vague “outside the terminal”.
This improvement to outdoor access removes none of the formalities. A clearer route to check-in does not mean bag drop, security or document checks disappear. Keep to the timings requested by your airline.
Being rolled out: mobile boarding passes with Pax Check
On 23 July 2026, Airports of Morocco announced Pax Check, a system allowing digital boarding passes on smartphones. The announcement states that integration is gradual and depends on airlines meeting technical, operational and regulatory prerequisites. Official presentation relayed by the national Maroc.ma portal
The right question for your journey is therefore: “Does my airline currently accept a mobile pass when departing from this airport, for my booking?” A national announcement cannot answer for every flight. Open the airline's app and read any instructions about document verification or visiting the desk.
A pass available on your phone does not replace the required travel documents. Nor does it let you skip checked-baggage drop-off. Before leaving your accommodation, make sure you can display each passenger's pass and retain enough battery for the whole process.
Expansion and financing: what must remain distinct from opening
The financed programme announced by the AfDB on 30 September includes modernisation of facilities, security equipment, baggage-handling systems and digital tools. For Marrakech, it mentions a capacity of 14 million passengers by 2030, within the scope of that programme. This is an announced target, not a measurement of capacity immediately available. Agreement details on Maroc.ma
The extension also appears in Jet Contractors' public portfolio. This documents the project, but the consulted page provides no opening date useful to a traveller. We therefore give neither a guaranteed opening nor a percentage of physical completion. Jet Contractors project page
In particular, avoid turning a strategic deadline into a promise for a specific flight. Capacity planned for 2030 does not tell you which hall will welcome you in November 2026. Likewise, a tender or signed funding agreement does not, by itself, establish that the corresponding equipment is installed and accessible to the public.
Should you allow extra time because of construction?
The sources reviewed do not establish an additional duration valid for every departure. They confirm no universal extra thirty or sixty minutes attributable to construction.
Instead, build your schedule from the airline's instructions, then include the journey from your accommodation and your particular needs. Bag drop, document verification or requested assistance may change your route. Do not treat the check-in deadline as your preferred airport arrival time: by that deadline, the formality must already be complete.
Check flight-related messages before leaving. Our Marrakech departures page helps you find useful information; then confirm your gate and flight status on the screens and with the airline.
Organising a transfer during this period of change
On arrival, clarify the meeting point and the procedure if you cannot find your driver. Provide a reachable number and keep the provider's number. Avoid booking a fixed-time activity immediately after landing: exit time also depends on formalities and baggage.
For your return, ask the accommodation where the vehicle can actually stop. For some properties reached on foot, the useful meeting point is a nearby place accessible to cars. Preparing that meeting reduces a concrete risk of delay, independently of future airport improvements.
Our airport transport guide lets you compare the options. For each one, check the quoted total price, baggage allowance, included waiting time and cancellation terms. No provider alone can guarantee how long you will take to pass through airport checks.
Three useful checks before departure
- The flight: schedule, check-in, baggage and any airline messages
- The process: accepted pass format, requested document checks and access signs on site
- The transfer: time, exact meeting point and a contact if difficulties arise
The Airports 2030 projects set a direction for Marrakech-Menara's transformation. For your next journey, focus above all on improvements already announced as available and your airline's own rules. Future capacities should continue to be presented with their horizon and scope until their entry into service is confirmed.