By Ahmed Eljechtimi
RABAT (Reuters) – Morocco plans to expand its airport capacity to 80 million passengers by 2030 from 38 million currently, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch said.
The plan is part of Morocco’s preparations to co-host the 2030 soccer World Cup, together with Spain and Portugal, and promote tourism, Akhannouch told members of parliament.
Casablanca’s airport capacity will be expanded to 23.3 million passengers, while tourist hubs Marrakech and Agadir will have a capacity of 14 million passengers and 6.3 million respectively by 2030, he said.
Morocco received a record 15.9 million tourists in the first 11 months of this year, surpassing the total in the entire previous year thanks to more air routes, according to tourism ministry figures.
Morocco is also working to extend its high-speed train network to Marrakech before the World Cup, and further south to Agadir.
The rail operator also aims to expand its network to double the number of cities it serves to 43, or 87% of the Moroccan population, by 2040.
The prime minister also mentioned the expansion and renovation of 45 stadiums and training sites in the six cities that are planned to host the World Cup, in addition to the construction of a new stadium with 115,000 seats near Casablanca.
Investments in stadium construction and expansion would cost Morocco up to 5 billion dirhams ($500 million), the government has said.
Morocco is also hosting the Africa Cup of Nations soccer tournament in 2025.
(Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; Editing by Mark Potter)
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