During his presentation on the “Provisional assessment of Operation Marhaba 2024” before the Committee on the Interior, Local Authorities and Basic Infrastructure, Mr. Abdeljalil stressed that the ministry will continue, through all its components, the general mobilization to ensure that the arrival of members of the Moroccan community and their passage through the transit points take place in an optimal manner, by strengthening coordination, the exchange of information and anticipating the challenges related to the management of busy periods by involving all the stakeholders concerned.
As in previous years, Morocco will have to record this year a significant influx of members of the Moroccan diaspora coming to visit their homeland, the minister said, stressing that the ministry and the institutions under its supervision have redoubled their efforts to guarantee an adequate supply capable of meeting the demand in terms of international maritime, air and road transport lines, in addition to supporting the transport companies involved in the Marhaba operation, by granting them the necessary licenses.
Regarding the components of the maritime transport offer, Mr. Abdeljalil said that the ministry has mobilized a total of 29 ships, ensuring 535 weekly trips on all maritime lines connecting Moroccan and Spanish, French and Italian ports, with a total weekly capacity estimated at 487,000 passengers and 130,000 cars.
Regarding air transport, 52 airlines have been authorized to organize 2,060 regular flights on average per week connecting Morocco to 135 international airports in 52 countries, up 15% compared to the summer period of 2023, the minister explained.
In addition, he revealed that Royal Air Maroc (RAM) has launched a special program for the summer period aimed at supporting its offer, improving its flight schedules and meeting the increased demand during the summer, by making available more than 6.5 million seats, an increase of 300,000 seats compared to 2023, spread over 90 destinations across four continents.
And to note that half of these seats will be dedicated to connecting 11 Moroccan airports to 37 European destinations with an average of 671 weekly flights, specifying that RAM will have to ensure, on its own, approximately a third of the scheduled flights, Europe constituting the main destination of the company’s flights, followed by Africa, North America and the Middle East.
In terms of international road passenger transport by bus, Mr. Abdeljalil stressed that a sufficient supply of transport services has been put in place, including 75 international transport companies, including 35 Moroccan companies operating 69 international passenger transport lines, connecting France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands to Morocco and ensuring approximately 288 weekly trips, i.e. a capacity of 14,400 seats.
Mr. Abdeljalil noted that the National Railways Office (ONCF) has strengthened the offer by scheduling 48 trains per day to connect Tangier to the different cities of the Kingdom, as well as 38 trains to connect Mohammed V Airport with a frequency of one train per hour throughout the day.
He recalled that the ONCF has launched fare offers such as the “Yalla Maroc” tourist card which offers 30% discounts on all journeys for a price of only 50 dirhams, and the “Yalla FAMILY” family fare which offers discounts for families, in addition to a total mobilization including increasing the number of reception and orientation teams in stations and on board trains, and strengthening sales channels to facilitate the purchase of tickets.
Furthermore, Mr. Abdeljalil stressed that the return of Moroccans living abroad to their country constitutes an opportunity for many of them to settle their administrative affairs, specifying that the services of the ministry are working to speed up the processing of administrative documents of members of the MRE in order to reduce delays.
2024-09-21 14:15:25