Morocco to Double Airport Capacity by 2030

Morocco's Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch speaks during the High Level Segment session of the One Ocean Summit (OOS) in Brest, France February 11, 2022. (Reuters)
Morocco's Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch speaks during the High Level Segment session of the One Ocean Summit (OOS) in Brest, France February 11, 2022. (Reuters)
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Morocco to Double Airport Capacity by 2030

Morocco's Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch speaks during the High Level Segment session of the One Ocean Summit (OOS) in Brest, France February 11, 2022. (Reuters)
Morocco's Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch speaks during the High Level Segment session of the One Ocean Summit (OOS) in Brest, France February 11, 2022. (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 FIFA 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.



GASTAT: Saudi Industrial Production Index Increases by 3.4% in November 2024

GASTAT publishes the IPI monthly. SPA
GASTAT publishes the IPI monthly. SPA
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GASTAT: Saudi Industrial Production Index Increases by 3.4% in November 2024

GASTAT publishes the IPI monthly. SPA
GASTAT publishes the IPI monthly. SPA

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) said Thursday that the Industrial Production Index (IPI) statistics for November 2024 showed a 3.4% increase compared to the same month of the previous year.

This increase is driven by growth in mining and quarrying, manufacturing, water supply, sewerage, and waste management and remediation activities, GASTAT said.

Furthermore, the sub-index of mining and quarrying activity increased by 1.2%, and the sub-index of manufacturing activity increased by 7.2%.

The sub-index of electricity, gas, steam, and air conditioning supply activity recorded a decrease of 2.1%, and the sub-index of water supply, sewerage and waste management and remediation activities increased by 10.5%.

The IPI by main economic activities increased by 3.8% compared to the same month of the previous year, while the index of non-oil activities also increased by 2.4%.

GASTAT publishes the IPI monthly. It is an economic indicator that reflects the relative changes in the volume of industrial output. It is calculated based on the industrial production survey.