Mohamed Abdel Jalil reveals that thousands of travelers have crossed through Moroccan ports as part of Operation “Marhaba 2024”… Details

Agadir24 | Agadir24/A.M.E

Minister of Transport and Logistics Mohamed Abdeljalil reported yesterday, Wednesday, at the House of Advisors, that about 538,000 passengers had passed through Moroccan ports until July 15 as part of Operation “Marhaba 2024”, an increase of 4 percent compared to the same period of “Marhaba 2023”.

Abdeljalil stressed, while presenting a presentation on the “interim results of Operation Marhaba 2024” at the Interior, Local Authorities and Infrastructure Committee, that the ministry will continue with all its components the comprehensive mobilization so that the stage of the arrival of the community members and their passage through the crossing points passes in appropriate conditions, by strengthening coordination and exchanging information and anticipating some aspects related to managing peak days between all stakeholders.

Similar to previous years, the minister added, Morocco is expected to witness this year a significant number of members of the Moroccan community abroad to visit their homeland, highlighting that the ministry and the institutions under its supervision have doubled their efforts to provide sufficient supply to cover the expected demand in terms of sea, air and international road transport lines, in addition to supporting the transport companies involved in Operation Marhaba and granting them the necessary transport licenses.

As for the components of the air transport offer, Mr. Abdeljalil stated that the Ministry has mobilized a total of 29 ships, providing 535 weekly trips on all the maritime lines linking Moroccan ports with their counterparts in Spain, France and Italy, with a total weekly capacity estimated at 487,000 passengers and 130,000 cars.

Regarding air transport, he added that 52 air transport companies have been licensed to organize 2,060 regular flights on a weekly average linking Morocco to 135 international airports and 52 countries, which represents a 15 percent development compared to the summer period of 2023.

The Minister stated that Royal Air Maroc has launched a special program for the summer period, aiming to support its offer, improve its flight programs, and respond to the increase in demand during the summer, by providing more than 6.5 million seats, an increase of 300,000 seats compared to 2023, distributed over 90 destinations across the four continents.

He noted that half of these seats will be allocated to link 11 Moroccan airports with 37 European destinations at a rate of 671 flights per week, noting that the company alone is expected to secure about a third of the scheduled flights, noting that Europe is the main destination for the company’s flights, followed by Africa, then North America and the Middle East.

Regarding international road transport of passengers by bus, Mr. Abdeljalil pointed out that a sufficient supply of transport services has been provided, including 75 international transport companies, including 35 Moroccan companies operating 69 international passenger transport lines, linking France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands to Morocco, and providing approximately 288 flights per week, equivalent to a capacity of 14,400 seats.

At the level of rail transport, the Minister explained that the National Railway Office worked to enhance the supply by scheduling 48 daily trains to connect Tangier to various cities in the Kingdom, as well as 38 trains to connect Mohammed V Airport at a rate of one train every hour throughout the day.

He stated that the office has launched introductory offers such as the “Yalla Morocco” tourist card, which provides 30 percent discounts on all trips at a price of only 50 dirhams, and the “Yalla Family” family fare, which offers discounts for families, in addition to a comprehensive mobilization that includes increasing the number of reception and guidance teams at stations and on board trains, and strengthening sales channels to facilitate the purchase of tickets.

On the other hand, Mr. Abdeljalil noted that the return of Moroccans living abroad to their homeland represents an opportunity for many of them to complete their administrative needs, stressing that the services affiliated with the Ministry are working to speed up the processing of administrative documents for members of the community to reduce the time required to obtain them.