---
title: "Departing Marrakech airport | TMC Conciergerie"
description: "Leaving Marrakech Menara: how early to arrive, the departure steps since 2025, the 5.09-minute average police check, and how departure fast track works."
url: https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/blog/departing-marrakech-airport/
lang: en
updated: 2026-10-20
---

[Blog](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/blog/)

# Departing from Marrakech airport: how early to arrive, and departure fast track

The time that matters is your airline's: Royal Air Maroc, for example, asks passengers to arrive 3 hours before a short or medium-haul international flight, 4 hours at busy times, and closes its desks 60 minutes before departure. The departure police check at Marrakech Menara took 5.09 minutes on average in the first half of 2026; check-in, security and how busy the terminal is decide the rest.

**Departure Fast Track Premium: 200 EUR** per adult · **100 EUR** aged 2 to 12 · **free** under 2. It is booked separately from your arrival, with your return flight number. Book at least 48 hours before your flight.

[Book your Marrakech departure: Fast Track and chauffeur](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/book/?trajet=depart&formule=ensemble&aeroport=RAK). [+33 6 25 06 27 18](tel:+33625062718)

- Published on 20 October 2026
- Reading time: 6 min
- By the TMC Conciergerie team, in Marrakech

## The departure steps since 2025

Leaving Marrakech Menara changed on 7 March 2025. That day the airport operator (then ONDA, now Airports of Morocco) removed from the terminal entrances the scanners and walk-through detectors that screened passengers and bags. One queue disappeared before you even reach check-in. The other steps remain:

1. The terminal entrance. Your driver, taxi or friend drops you at the kerb; you walk in without a scanner.
2. Check-in. At your airline's desk you drop your hold luggage and get your boarding pass.
3. Police check. Border police check your passport. There has been no departure card since 16 September 2019.
4. Security. You and your hand luggage are screened before the departure area.
5. The departure lounge and gate, at the time set by your airline.

We do not state a fixed order between police and security: it depends on the airport, and the signs on the day are what count. One rule to remember when leaving Morocco: no more than 2,000 dirhams in banknotes per traveller, according to Morocco's foreign exchange office. Spend or change the rest before you go. The other rules are in our guide to [Moroccan airport formalities](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/blog/arriving-in-morocco-by-air-formalities-fast-track/).

In this article:

- [How early should you get to Marrakech airport?](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/blog/departing-marrakech-airport/#how-early-should-you)
- [Where departure can slow down](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/blog/departing-marrakech-airport/#where-departure-can-slow)
- [Departure fast track, step by step](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/blog/departing-marrakech-airport/#departure-fast-track-step)
- [Book your return in one go: chauffeur and Fast Track](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/blog/departing-marrakech-airport/#book-return-in-one)
- [Frequently asked questions](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/blog/departing-marrakech-airport/#questions)
- [Sources](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/blog/departing-marrakech-airport/#methode)

## How early should you get to Marrakech airport?

There is no single answer for every flight: each airline sets its own recommended arrival time and check-in deadline, shown on your ticket or confirmation. Here is what Royal Air Maroc, Morocco's national airline, publishes (page read on 20 October 2026):

| Royal Air Maroc flight | Recommended arrival | Check-in desks close |
| --- | --- | --- |
| International short and medium-haul (Europe) | 3 h before, 4 h at busy times | 60 min before (online: 2 h) |
| International long-haul | 4 h before, 5 h at busy times | 60 min before (online: 2 h) |
| Domestic | 2 h before | 60 min before (online: 2 h) |

Royal Air Maroc closes boarding gates 15 minutes before departure. It also states something specific to Morocco that many travellers only find out at the airport: when departing from a Moroccan airport, you can check in online, but you still have to go to the desk to complete check-in and collect your boarding pass, after a document check. Printing your boarding pass online is not available from Moroccan airports. Checking in online does not let you skip the desk, and online check-in closes 2 hours before departure.

For other airlines, including the low-cost carriers flying between Marrakech and the UK or Europe, bag-drop deadlines differ by airline and sometimes by departure country. Check yours in your booking or the airline's app, not on a forum.

## Where departure can slow down

The police check, which the operator measures, is quick on average: 5.09 minutes at Marrakech in the first half of 2026, down 22.5% year on year. As on arrival, it is a six-month average with no published peak, and it covers the police check only. Queues at check-in and at security are not in it.

We will not publish observed departure times until we have dated, logged figures to show you. Public sources tell us two things:

- The airport is stretched at peak times. Marrakech Menara handled 10,197,736 passengers in 2025, against a stated capacity of 7.4 million a year in August 2024, while its extension is built. During summer 2026 it passed 30,000 passengers in a single day, according to Morocco's national portal maroc.ma.
- Flight delays are a separate issue. On Sunday 4 October 2026, 61% of departures from Marrakech were shown as delayed by late evening, according to the Flightradar24 board as reported by Bladi.net, with an average displayed delay of twenty minutes. A delayed flight does not move your check-in deadline: your airline's deadline still applies.

You will find much longer summer security queues quoted online. No public source measures them, so we do not repeat them: your airline's deadline remains the only reliable guide.

## Departure fast track, step by step

Departure Fast Track Premium is the counterpart of the arrival meet and greet. It follows four steps:

1. At the kerb. Your agent meets you at the drop-off point. If you have booked our chauffeur, he drops you where the agent is waiting.
2. At check-in. The agent goes with you to your airline's desk.
3. Through security and the police check. The agent stays with you and steers you to the priority lane when it is open. You present your own documents.
4. To the departure lounge. You then go to your gate at the time given by your airline.

What it does not do: it skips no police or security check, guarantees no clearance time and does not replace your airline's check-in deadline. It does not include lounge access. Its value is simpler: an agent stays with you from the kerb to the departure lounge, with your children, your parents or your guests, on the day you have the least margin.

The price is the same as on arrival and at all six of our airports: 200 EUR per adult, 100 EUR per child aged 2 to 12, free under 2. Departure Fast Track is booked separately from arrival, with its own flight number: booking your arrival does not include your departure. Amounts shown in pounds or dollars on the English site are indicative; you pay in euros. The Marrakech service is described on our [Marrakech Menara airport fast track page](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/fast-track-marrakech-airport/).

## Book your return in one go: chauffeur and Fast Track

On departure day two decisions go together: when to leave your riad or villa, and who meets you at the airport. Choose "Both" on the booking page and the chauffeur and Fast Track are in a single booking.

- Pick-up time. You give us your flight time; we agree the pick-up time with you based on your airline's check-in deadline.
- At your address. The chauffeur collects you and loads your bags.
- At the terminal. He drops you at the kerb, where your agent is waiting.

The transfer is priced per vehicle, not per person, and the price is shown on the booking page before you book, based on your address. From the Medina, Gueliz or Hivernage to the airport, our published prices start at 45 EUR per vehicle, the same as the other way; other routes are on our [Marrakech airport transfer page](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/marrakech-airport-transfer/). A child seat is supplied and fitted free of charge.

Bookings close 48 hours before your flight time, online, by phone or on WhatsApp. You pay online by card, in euros, and cancellation is free more than 7 days ahead.

[Book your Marrakech Menara departure: chauffeur and Fast Track](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/book/?trajet=depart&formule=ensemble&aeroport=RAK). Any question before booking: [+33 6 25 06 27 18](tel:+33625062718), also on [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/33625062718), in English or French.

## Frequently asked questions

### How early should I be at Marrakech airport?

**As early as your airline asks: Royal Air Maroc says 3 hours before a flight to Europe, 4 hours at busy times.** Its desks close 60 minutes before departure; other airlines publish their own times.

### Does online check-in let me skip the desk when leaving Morocco?

**Not with Royal Air Maroc: from a Moroccan airport you must go to the desk to collect your boarding pass.** For other airlines, check your booking.

### Is there still a scanner at the entrance to Marrakech airport?

**No, the entrance scanners and walk-through detectors were removed on 7 March 2025.** Security screening still takes place before the departure area.

### Is departure fast track included if I booked it on arrival?

**No, arrival and departure are booked and paid separately, each with its own flight number.** The price is the same: 200 EUR per adult, 100 EUR aged 2 to 12.

### Can fast track let me arrive at the airport later?

**No, it does not replace your airline's check-in deadline.** We set your chauffeur's pick-up time from that deadline.

### How many dirhams can I take out of Morocco?

**No more than 2,000 dirhams in banknotes per traveller, according to Morocco's foreign exchange office.** Foreign currency worth 100,000 dirhams or more must be declared at customs.

## Sources

All pages consulted on 20 October 2026. Any fact we could not find or that sources contradicted was left out.

- Royal Air Maroc, check-in conditions: recommended arrival times, desk and gate closing, online check-in when departing from Morocco (no update date shown, read on 20 October 2026; French version). [royalairmaroc.com](https://www.royalairmaroc.com/fr-fr/information/conditions-enregistrement)
- Finances News Hebdo, 28 July 2026: average passport control times, first half of 2026, from Airports of Morocco (in French). [fnh.ma](https://fnh.ma/article/actualites-marocaines/aeroports-maroc-temps-attente-controles-frontieres-2026)
- Le360, 7 March 2025: entrance scanners removed at Marrakech Menara, according to ONDA (in French). [fr.le360.ma](https://fr.le360.ma/societe/aeroport-marrakech-menara-suppression-des-scanners-aux-entrees-le-temps-dattente-bientot-reduit-a-30_NL46MVXW7JBX3DAZBI36VCYVNE/)
- Hespress, 4 February 2026: 10,197,736 passengers at Marrakech Menara in 2025 (in French). [fr.hespress.com](https://fr.hespress.com/460832-marrakech-menara-le-trafic-international-des-passagers-en-hausse-de-1009-en-2025.html)
- Infomédiaire, 26 August 2024: capacity of 7.4 million passengers a year, to be raised to 16 million (in French). [infomediaire.net](https://www.infomediaire.net/aerien-le-maroc-veut-augmenter-la-capacite-daccueil-de-quatre-aeroports/)
- Maroc.ma, 2 September 2026: more than 30,000 passengers in one day at Marrakech Menara in summer 2026 (in French). [maroc.ma](https://maroc.ma/fr/actualites/saison-estivale-2026-les-aeroports-du-maroc-enregistrent-des-niveaux-de-frequentation-historiques)
- Bladi.net, 5 October 2026: delayed departures from Marrakech on Sunday 4 October 2026, based on Flightradar24 (in French). [bladi.net](https://www.bladi.net/marrakech-six-vols-dix-decolle-retard-dimanche,124171.html)
- Office des changes (Morocco's foreign exchange office): 2,000-dirham banknote limit on leaving (in French). [oc.gov.ma](https://www.oc.gov.ma/fr/faq/peut-exporter-des-dirhams)
- Our service, price and limits: [Airport fast track in Morocco](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/airport-fast-track-morocco/), [booking terms](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/booking-terms/), [FAQ](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/faq/).

Fast Track

## Fast Track Premium in six Moroccan airports

An agent accompanies you through the formalities, a price per passenger shown before payment, a booking registered as soon as you pay.

[Book](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/book/). [Airport Fast Track in Morocco](https://www.tmcconciergerie.com/en/airport-fast-track-morocco/)