Mohammed V International Airport

Mohammed V International Airport^[a] IATA: CMN, ICAO: GMMN is an international airport serving Casablanca, Morocco. Located in Nouaceur Province, it is operated by ONDA (National Airports Office).

Mohammed V International Airport مطار محمد الخامس الدولي Maṭar Muhammad al-Khamis ad-Dowaly ⴰⵣⴰⴳⵯⵣ ⴰⴳⵔⵖⵍⴰⵏ ⵎⵓⵃⵎⵎⴷ ⵡⵙ5
IATA: CMN ICAO: GMMN
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	ONDA
Operator	ONDA
Serves	Casablanca, Morocco
Location	Nouasseur
Hub for	Air Arabia Maroc Royal Air Maroc Royal Air Maroc Express
Elevation AMSL	656 ft / 200 m
Coordinates	33°22′02″N 007°35′23″W / 33.36722°N 7.58972°W / 33.36722; -7.58972
Website	www.onda.ma
Map
CMN Location of airport in Morocco
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 17L/35R 3,720 12,205 Asphalt 17R/35L 3,720 12,205 Asphalt
Statistics
Passengers (2022) 7,637,643^[1] Passenger change 19-22 -25.94% Aircraft movements (2022) 67,074 Economic & social impacts (2012) $731 million^[2]

With about 7.6 million passengers passing through the airport in 2022, it was the busiest airport in Morocco and in the top 10 of busiest airports in Africa.^[3] Passenger traffic in 2022 had recovered to 74% of the total pre-pandemic numbers of 2019.^[4] The airport serves as hub for Royal Air Maroc,^[5] Royal Air Maroc Express and Air Arabia Maroc. It is named after King Mohammed V of Morocco, who led the country's successful push for independence from French and Spanish colonial rule.

History

 

Transatlantic routes from Casablanca, September 1945

 

Terminal 1 interior

 

Arrivals area

 

Departure gates

 

Royal Air Maroc Boeing 737-800

1940s

The Casablanca Mohammed V Airport was originally built by the United States in early 1943 following Operation Torch in World War II. It was named Berrechid Airfield and it served as an auxiliary airfield for Casablanca's Anfa Airport.^[6] The airfield handled diverse military traffic as a stopover en route to Port Lyautey Airfield, and to Marrakech Airport on the North African Cairo-Dakar route. In addition, it was the terminus of Mid-Atlantic route transatlantic flights via the Azores to Nova Scotia and airfields on the East Coast of the United States.

In addition to its transportation role, the airfield supported the North African Campaign with the Twelfth Air Force 68th Reconnaissance Group operating photo-reconnaissance versions of the P-38 Lightning and P-51 Mustang. Part of the 68th first arrived at Angads Airport in Oujda in November 1942 and moved to Berrechid in March 1943 upon its completion. It flew both antisubmarine missions over the Atlantic and photo-reconnaissance combat missions over German-held territory until early September when it moved east to Massicault Airfield in Tunisia. With the end of the war in 1945, the airfield was handed over to the civil government.

1950s

During the Cold War in the early and middle 1950s, the airfield was reopened as Nouasseur Air Base and was used as a United States Air Force Strategic Air Command staging area for B-47 Stratojet bombers pointed at the Soviet Union. These operations later moved to Ben Guerir Air Base.

With the destabilisation of French government in Morocco, and Moroccan independence in 1956, the government of Mohammed V wanted the US Air Force to pull its bases out of Morocco, insisting on such action after American intervention in Lebanon in 1958. The United States agreed to leave in December 1959, and was fully out of Morocco by 1963. The U.S. felt that, with the long range of the B-52 and completion of Spanish bases in 1959, the Moroccan bases were no longer important.

2020s

In 2022, Mohammed V Airport was ranked the 4th busiest airport in Africa.^[7]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger

The following airlines operate regular scheduled and charter flights at Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport:

Airlines	Destinations
Air Arabia Maroc	Barcelona, Basel/Mulhouse, Bergamo, Bologna, Bordeaux, Brussels, Catania, Cuneo, Guelmim^[citation needed], Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen, Lyon, Málaga, Montpellier, Naples, Pisa, Toulouse, Tunis, Venice Seasonal: Seville^[8]
Air Cairo	Seasonal: Alexandria,^[9] Sharm El Sheikh^[10]
Air Canada	Montréal–Trudeau
Air Côte d'Ivoire	Abidjan^[11]
Air France	Paris–Charles de Gaulle,^[12] Paris–Orly^[13]
Air Senegal	Dakar–Diass
Alexandria Airlines	Seasonal charter: Sharm El Sheikh^[14]
Binter Canarias	Gran Canaria
Egyptair	Cairo
El Al	Tel Aviv
Emirates	Dubai–International
Etihad Airways	Abu Dhabi
Eurowings	Seasonal: Düsseldorf
flynas	Jeddah^[15]
Gulf Air	Bahrain
Iberia	Madrid
Kuwait Airways	Kuwait City^[16]
Lufthansa	Frankfurt^[17]
Mauritania Airlines	Nouadhibou, Nouakchott
Pegasus Airlines	Istanbul–Sabiha Gökçen
Qatar Airways	Doha
Royal Air Maroc^[18]	Abidjan, Abuja (begins 23 June 2024),^[19] Accra, Agadir, Amsterdam, Bamako, Bangui, Banjul, Barcelona, Bissau, Bologna,^[20] Bordeaux, Brazzaville, Brussels, Cairo, Conakry, Cotonou, Dakar–Diass, Dakhla, Doha, Douala, Dubai–International, Errachidia, Frankfurt, Freetown, Geneva, Istanbul, Jeddah, Kinshasa–N'djili, Laayoune, Lagos, Libreville, Lisbon, Lomé, London–Gatwick, London–Heathrow, Luanda,^[21] Lyon, Madrid, Manchester (begins 23 June 2024),^[22] Malabo, Marrakesh, Marseille, Medina, Miami, Milan–Malpensa, Monrovia–Roberts, Montpellier, Montréal–Trudeau, Moscow–Domodedovo, Nantes, Naples, New York–JFK, Niamey, Nice, Nouakchott, Ouagadougou, Oujda, Paris–Charles de Gaulle, Paris–Orly, Porto,^[23] Praia, Riyadh, Rome–Fiumicino, Seville,^[24] Strasbourg, Tel Aviv,^[25] Toulouse, Tunis, Turin,^[26] Venice, Washington–Dulles, Yaoundé
Royal Air Maroc Express^[18]	Agadir, Al Hoceima, Fès, Gran Canaria, Málaga, Marrakesh, Nador, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Tangier, Tan Tan, Tétouan, Valencia, Zagora
Saudia	Jeddah, Medina, Riyadh
TAP Air Portugal	Lisbon
Transavia	Amsterdam, Lyon, Nantes, Paris–Orly Seasonal: Marseille^[27]
TUI fly Belgium	Bologna, Brussels, Lille, Paris–Orly, Rotterdam
Tunisair	Tunis
Turkish Airlines	Istanbul Seasonal: Antalya
Vueling	Seasonal: Barcelona

Cargo

Airlines	Destinations
Air France Cargo^[28]	Paris–Charles de Gaulle
Lufthansa Cargo^[29]	Frankfurt
Med Airlines^[30]	Bamako, Dakar–Senghor, Lisbon, Paris–Orly, Tangier
Qatar Airways Cargo^[31]	Doha
Royal Air Maroc Cargo^[32]	Abidjan, Accra, Bamako, Brussels, Douala, Frankfurt, Lagos, Libreville, London–Gatwick, Madrid
Turkish Cargo^[33]	Istanbul

Traffic

Annual passenger traffic at CMN airport. See Wikidata query.

Traffic^[34]	2010		2009		2008		2007		2006		2005		2004	Average growth 2004–2009
Aircraft movements^[34]	n/a	–	69,119	+1.11%	68,362	−2.5%	70,080	+7.6%	65,111	+9.2%	59,621	+13.9%	52,336	+5.86%
Passengers^[34]	7,245,508^[35]	+13,28	6,395,862	+2.95%	6,209,711	+6.0%	5,858,192	+15.5%	5,071,411	+12.1%	4,456,639	+17.1%	3,803,479	+10.73%
Freight (tons)^[34]	n/a	–	53,469	-6.06%	56,919	−6.5%	60,682	+9.3%	55,673	+10.7%	50,285	+6.5%	47,152	+2.79%

Ground transport

 

The train station in Casablanca Mohammed V Airport

Rail

The Al Bidaoui train service, operated by ONCF from 04:00 to 23:00, is available every hour and connects the airport to Casablanca's two main railway stations, Casa-Port Railway Terminal and Casa-Voyageurs Railway Station.^[36]

Car

• From Casablanca main access is by A3 Motorway;
• From Rabat by A1 Motorway through Tit Mellil and Road N9;
• From Beni Mellal by A4 Motorway;
• From Marrakech by A3 Motorway exit km 225;
• From El Jadida by A1 Motorway and A3 Motorway.^[37]

Incidents and accidents

• On 1 April 1970, a Royal Air Maroc Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle crashed on approach to Casablanca Mohammed V airport when it lost control at a height of about 500 feet. The fuselage broke in two. Sixty-one of the eighty-two passengers and crew were killed.^[38][39]

See also

• Transport in Morocco

References

1. "Aéroports du Maroc : Trafic aérien de l'année 2022". onda.ma.
2. "Mohammed V International airport – Economic and social impacts". Ecquants. from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
3. "Aéroports du Maroc : Trafic aérien de l'année 2022". onda.ma.
4. "Aéroports du Maroc : Trafic aérien de l'année 2022". onda.ma.
5. Dron, Alan (1 February 2019). "Royal Air Maroc sees fleet, hub growth ahead of oneworld membership". Air Transport World. from the original on 4 February 2019. Retrieved 4 February 2019.
6. Division, United States USAF Historical (1961). Air Force Combat Units of World War II. U.S. Government Printing Office.
7. "Casablanca's Mohammed V International Airport ranks 4th busiest in Africa in 2022". HESPRESS English - Morocco News. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023.
8. "Air Arabia to Launch Routes Connecting 2 Moroccan Cities, Seville in June".
9. "Air Cairo to launch Alexandria Borg El Arab-Casablanca service".
10. "Direct (non-stop) flights from Casablanca to Sharm el Sheikh". flightsfrom.com.
11. "Air Cote d'Ivoire Moves Casablanca Launch to Jan 2023". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 20 October 2022.
12. "Air France NS24 North Africa Service Changes – 31DEC23".
13. "Air France Resumes Paris Orly – Casablanca Service in late-Oct 2022".
14. "ALEXANDRIA AIRLINES ADDS SHARM EL SHEIKH CHARTER ROUTES IN 1Q23". aeroroutes.com. 20 February 2023.
15. "Connectivity Scheme Fuels Flynas' International Growth".
16. Casey, David. "Manchester, Madrid and Moscow Among Kuwait Airways' Network Additions". Routesonline. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
17. "Lufthansa Homepage". Lufthansa.com. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
18. "Flight Booking - Royal Air Maroc". Royalairmaroc.com. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
19. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2024/03/361467/royal-air-maroc-to-operate-three-new-flights-in-june-2024
20. "Royal Air Maroc 1Q24 Bologna Aircraft Changes".
21. "Royal Air Maroc Resumes Luanda Service From Dec 2022". Aeroroutes. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
22. https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2024/03/361467/royal-air-maroc-to-operate-three-new-flights-in-june-2024
23. "ROYAL AIR MAROC RESUMES PORTO SERVICE FROM DEC 2022". aeroroutes.com. 11 November 2022.
24. "ROYAL AIR MAROC MOVES SEVILLE SERVICE RESUMPTION TO LATE-DEC 2022".
25. "Royal Air Maroc to launch new Casablanca-Tel Aviv route - news agency". Reuters. 21 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
26. "Royal Air Maroc NS24 Turin Service Changes".
27. "Cet hiver, Transavia ouvre 3 nouvelles lignes internationales au départ de Marseille - Région - Société - Maritima.Info". 23 August 2022.
28. "AIR FRANCE KLM MARTINAIR Cargo - Our Network". Afklcargo.com. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
29. "Lufthansa Cargo Adds Morocco A321 Freighter Service From July 2023". AeroRoutes. 15 June 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
30. "MED-AIRLINES". Med-airlines.com. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
31. "W20/21 Freighters Route Map" (PDF). Qrcargo.com. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
32. "Our destinations - Royal Air Maroc Cargo". Cargo.royalairmaroc.com. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
33. "Flight Schedule | Turkish Cargo Corporate". Turkishcargo.com.tr. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
34. (PDF). ONDA. 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 25 February 2010.
35. "Aéroports du Maroc: Trafic du mois de Décembre 2010" [Airports of Morocco: Traffic for December 2010 (2010-12)] (PDF) (Press release) (in French). Office Nationale des Aéroports. (PDF) from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
36. (in French) ONCF transfère la desserte de l’AEROPORT Mohamed V À CASA-PORT 11 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine
37. . Onda.ma. Archived from the original on 18 May 2016.
38. "Fatal Events Since 1970 for Royal Air Maroc". airsafe.com. 1 June 2012. from the original on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
39. "SE-210 RAM crash". Aviation Safety Network. from the original on 18 March 2011. Retrieved 5 August 2009.

Notes

1. Arabic: مطار محمد الخامس الدولي, Matar Muhammad al-Khamis ad-Dowaly; Berber languages: ⴰⵣⴰⴳⵯⵣ ⴰⴳⵔⵖⵍⴰⵏ ⵎⵓⵃⵎⵎⴷ ⵡⵙ5; French: Aéroport International de Mohammed V

External links

  Media related to Mohammed V International Airport at Wikimedia Commons

• Mohammed V International Airport
• Moroccan Airports Authority
• Accident history for CMN at Aviation Safety Network
• Aeronautical chart and airport information for GMMN at SkyVector
• Current weather for GMMN at NOAA/NWS