Private jet to Morocco

Morocco sits across the Strait of Gibraltar from Spain, close enough that Tangier is 1:15 h from Madrid and Marrakesh about three and a half hours from London. Private flyers come for very different trips: a riad weekend in the Marrakesh medina, meetings in Casablanca, ministries and embassies in Rabat, a golf week near Agadir, the old cities of Fes and Meknes, or a night in the desert beyond the High Atlas.

Most airports are run by ONDA, the state airports company, and the main ones work around the clock with passport and customs control on site. Marrakesh and Casablanca have dedicated terminals for business and private aviation. The country is outside the EU and Schengen, so every flight needs a landing permit and every passenger a passport. As a broker, we compare aircraft from operators across Europe and Morocco, and choose the airport by the address, not by the best-known name.

Send the cities, dates, number of passengers and where you will stay, and we reply with the airport, the aircraft and the price.

Why clients fly privately to Morocco

Flight times from the main hubs

Times for a Phenom 300 light jet, taken from the price tables, including taxi, climb and descent:

The north of the country is the nearest part to Europe: Zurich - Tangier takes 2:51 h, while Frankfurt - Marrakesh takes 3:47 h. Agadir and the far south sit at the edge of a light jet's range from the Netherlands and northern Germany, so for six passengers with golf bags a Citation Latitude is the calmer choice at 3:55 h from Amsterdam. From Scandinavia and Poland the tables start with midsize jets. The routing crosses France and Spain without closed airspace.

What a private flight to Morocco costs

Each price is for the whole aircraft, one way, with an aircraft available near the departure airport, plus handling, the permit, terminal fees and passenger taxes. The flight time is that of the first aircraft in the row. The rows go to different Moroccan airports to show how the distance changes the price.

From the European hubs

Madrid - Tangier is the cheapest row at EUR 11,000. From the Alps and the Riviera a light jet costs EUR 16,500-17,500: Zurich - Tangier, Nice - Marrakesh, Geneva - Marrakesh and Milan - Casablanca. London - Marrakesh costs EUR 19,000 in a Phenom 300 and EUR 28,000 in a Challenger 350 with a stand-up cabin. The longest rows, Hamburg - Casablanca and Amsterdam - Agadir, are EUR 21,000 each.

From Iberia, the Canaries and Barcelona

Short sectors where a turboprop keeps the price down and a light jet saves half an hour:

Malaga - Tangier takes 0:50 h in a Pilatus PC-12 and costs EUR 6,500, so a villa on the Costa del Sol and a weekend in Tangier fit into one trip. From Lisbon, Faro, Tenerife and Gran Canaria a turboprop costs EUR 9,000 to Marrakesh or Agadir, and a Citation CJ3 costs EUR 10,000-10,500 for 1:32-1:38 h.

Between Moroccan cities

Whether a foreign aircraft may carry passengers between two Moroccan airports is confirmed in writing by the operator before the quote. Often a Moroccan operator flies the domestic legs, and fuel on domestic flights carries VAT. Indicative prices:

Marrakesh - Casablanca takes 0:55 h in a turboprop for EUR 6,500. Marrakesh - Fes, most of a day by car, is 1:02 h in a CJ3 for EUR 8,500.

From Scandinavia and Poland

Copenhagen - Marrakesh takes 4:27 h in a Citation Latitude for EUR 28,000. Warsaw - Tangier costs EUR 27,000 and is 25 minutes shorter, because Tangier is the northernmost of the main airports. Stockholm Bromma has a short runway for a heavy jet, so the Challenger 650 is quoted on request there.

From the Gulf and New York

All three types fly these sectors non-stop: Riyadh - Casablanca takes 6:44 h in a Challenger 650 for EUR 63,000, and New York - Casablanca 6:57 h in a Gulfstream G650.

Prices follow the flight time, the position of the nearest free aircraft and the season: Christmas, New Year, Easter and the film festival weeks in Marrakesh are the busiest. For a stay of a week or more two one-way flights are usually cheaper than keeping the aircraft on the ground. Moroccan airport, handling and permit charges are listed in the quote. The departure country adds its own tax: France about EUR 1,015 per passenger on a jet and EUR 675 on a turboprop, since its tax rises with distance from about EUR 420 within Europe; Italy EUR 100 per passenger up to 1,500 km and EUR 200 beyond, charged on flights to and from Italy; Austria EUR 12 (EUR 30 up to 350 km). Germany and Norway charge departure taxes. British Air Passenger Duty does not apply to aircraft under 5.7 t, jets of 20 t or more with fewer than 19 seats pay the higher private-jet rate and other jets the standard rate for the distance. The Netherlands taxes passengers on aircraft of 5.7 t or more, and Sweden has no passenger tax.

Business jet price per flight hour

Heavy Jets from EUR 8,300 / hour

Light Jets from EUR 3,200 / hour

Ultra Long Range Jets from EUR 12,000 / hour

Super Midsize Jets from EUR 6,300 / hour

Very Light Jets from EUR 2,500 / hour

Long Range Jets from EUR 9,800 / hour

Midsize Jets from EUR 4,500 / hour

Turboprops from EUR 2,000 / hour

Three trips worked through

Price per person

One price covers the whole cabin, so the cost per head shrinks as the group grows. Light jet prices from the main table:

Calculator

Enter the route, the date and the number of passengers, and the calculator sends an indicative price to your e-mail.

Airports and business aviation terminals

A foreign aircraft lands only at the airports named in its permit, and the handler applies for the permit and the slot together. Handling is compulsory at the main airports. These six cover almost every trip:

Smaller airports

Ouarzazate is 130 km from Marrakesh in a straight line but several hours by road over the Tizi n'Tichka pass, so a short flight saves most of a day. At Essaouira and Ouarzazate fuel, handling and opening hours are confirmed in writing before the quote. Flights to Dakhla and Laayoune are covered on the Western Sahara page.

Which aircraft for which trip

Marrakesh stands at 471 m and Ouarzazate at 1,153 m. On hot summer afternoons an aircraft takes off with less weight from such airports, so the operator confirms in the quote that the luggage and the fuel for the flight home fit. For golf bags and wedding outfits, one of the midsize jets gives the larger hold.

To discuss the route, the permit or a domestic leg, leave your phone number and a consultant will call you.

When to fly: the year month by month

Spring, autumn and the winter holidays are the busiest periods. The Atlantic coast is mild all year, the interior is cold at night in winter and very hot in summer, and the High Atlas gets snow. Empty Legs are most frequent in the first days of January and after Easter, when aircraft that brought families south fly home empty. Ramadan moves about 11 days earlier every year: offices and restaurants change their hours, and Morocco sets its clocks one hour back for the month, so flight and transfer times are checked in local time.

From the airport to the address

Empty Legs between Europe and Morocco

Many trips to the country are one-way bookings: a family flies south for a fortnight, a team flies in for a conference, and the aircraft flies home or on without passengers. These legs sell well below the price of a normal charter. Where they usually appear:

The operator fixes the date and the time, and the permit and the slot still apply. Send your direction and dates to empty-legs@jets.flights, with passport details ready, and we tell you when a matching flight comes up.

Flying with a dog or cat

The pet travels in the cabin beside you, and the operator must approve it in advance. Entering Morocco is simple; the return needs planning, because Morocco is not on the EU list of countries with simplified rules:

• Microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccination.
• Rabies vaccination given 21 days or more before the flight.
• A vet's health certificate issued shortly before departure; the animal may be examined on arrival.
• Rabies antibody test at least 30 days after the vaccination, done and recorded in the EU pet passport before leaving the EU, so the animal returns without the three-month wait.
• Up to five dogs, cats or ferrets on a private trip. Morocco bans certain fighting dog breeds.

Tell us the species, breed and weight with the request; operators set their own rules for animals on board. In summer, landings and transfers in Marrakesh are planned for the cooler part of the day.

Passports, permits and customs

Before departure

• A passport for each traveller, valid well past the return date; ID cards do not count.
• Names and passport numbers early, for the permit.
• Each city and address, so we choose the right airport and plan any domestic leg.
• Landing times: late arrivals at Marrakesh and Rabat need prior approval.
• Golf bags and suitcases counted, especially for a riad in a medina.
• Antibody test result entered in the pet passport before the trip.
• No drone without authorisation.
• Company name and VAT number for the invoice.

How to book

1. Tell us the cities, dates, passengers, luggage and addresses: a riad, a hotel in the Palmeraie, an office in Casablanca.
2. Two to four offers arrive with the operator, cabin photos and the whole-aircraft price; a domestic leg is priced on its own line.
3. You sign the contract with the operator; the handler applies for the landing permit and the slots.
4. We send passport copies and the passenger list to the handler and book the cars.
5. On arrival the handler takes you through passport and customs control, and the car drives you to the hotel or the nearest medina gate.

Private jet to Morocco: questions and answers

• • How much does a private jet to Morocco cost?

  • From EUR 11,000 one way for a Phenom 300 from Madrid to Tangier. From London to Marrakesh the same aircraft costs EUR 19,000, from Paris to Casablanca EUR 17,000, always for the whole aircraft. From Malaga a turboprop to Tangier costs EUR 6,500.

• • Which airport should we choose?

  • Marrakesh for the medina, the Palmeraie and the Atlas; Casablanca for business; Rabat for ministries and embassies; Tangier for the north; Fes for the Fes medina and Meknes; Agadir for the southern coast and golf.

• • Is there a private terminal?

  • Marrakesh and Casablanca have dedicated business aviation terminals, and Agadir has a Jetex FBO with customs. At the other airports the handler takes passengers through passport and customs control.

• • How long is the flight?

  • In a Phenom 300, 3:31 h from London to Marrakesh, 3:04 h from Paris to Casablanca and 2:51 h from Zurich to Tangier. From Madrid Tangier is 1:15 h away.

• • Do we need a visa?

  • Not for UK or most EU citizens staying up to 90 days, but every passenger needs a passport valid at least 90 days after departure. ID cards are not accepted.

• • How much notice do you need?

  • The landing permit takes at least 24 working hours, and the authority works on weekdays. A flight requested on Friday afternoon can usually leave on Monday at the earliest.

• • Can the same aircraft fly us between Moroccan cities?

  • Only if the operator confirms in writing that it may carry passengers on domestic legs. Otherwise a Moroccan operator flies them, for example Marrakesh - Casablanca in 0:55 h by turboprop.

• • What is the time difference?

  • Morocco uses UTC+1: one hour ahead of London in winter and the same time in summer. For the month of Ramadan the country turns its clocks back by one hour.

• • Can my dog come?

  • Yes, in the cabin, once it has a microchip, a rabies vaccination and a health certificate. Have the antibody test recorded before you leave the EU to avoid a three-month wait on the way back.

• • Are there Empty Legs?

  • Most often northbound after New Year and Easter, and between Morocco and Spain, Portugal and the Canaries all year. Write to empty-legs@jets.flights.

• • Can we combine Morocco with Spain?

  • Yes. Malaga - Tangier is 0:50 h by turboprop, Madrid - Tangier 1:15 h by light jet, and the aircraft can take you on to Spain, Portugal or the Canaries after the stay.