Christmas, half term, Easter and summer: the busiest dates at Marrakech airport in 2026-27

What the official figures say

Marrakech Menara handled 10,197,736 passengers in 2025, up 10.09% on the year, according to ONDA figures reported by Hespress on 4 February 2026. A record, in terminals the operator sizes for about 7.4 million until the expansion planned before 2030 is complete.

Three numbers show how the seasons compare:

• December 2025: 899,645 passengers, against 816,219 in December 2024, up 10.22% (Hespress, 4 February 2026).
• April 2026: 1,016,169 passengers, up 8.42% on the year (Hespress, 30 May 2026). Easter Sunday was 5 April 2026.
• Summer 2026: the airport passed 30,000 passengers in a single day, while Casablanca Mohammed V handled 46,439 in 24 hours on the first weekend of August (Airports of Morocco, via Morocco's national portal maroc.ma, 2 September 2026).

These figures count travellers, not waiting time. In the first half of 2026, passport control at Marrakech took 6.86 minutes on average on arrival, according to Airports of Morocco. A six-month average smooths out the peaks. What makes a particular day slow is the wave: several European flights landing in the same slot, and there is no way to know in advance whether yours will be one of them.

The 2026-27 calendar

The table sets UK school holidays (Wandsworth Council, as an example of one London local authority; each local authority, academy and Scottish council sets its own) against the official French calendar. Holiday starts in Europe mean arrivals in Marrakech; holiday ends mean departures from Marrakech.

Christmas and New Year: the weekend of 18-20 December

This is when the two calendars line up most closely. English schools break up on Friday 18 December 2026, and so do most French pupils, after class that Friday (Saturday 19 where there is Saturday school). On those calendars, the first weekend of the holidays should carry arrivals from both countries. Both go back on the same Monday, 4 January 2027, which should squeeze departures from Marrakech into 2 and 3 January.

In December 2025 the airport handled close to 900,000 passengers. If you land that weekend with children, Christmas luggage or older parents, that is when having someone with you counts most.

February half term: three staggered Saturdays

French winter holidays run over five weekends by zone, from 6 February to 8 March 2027. On the calendar, two Saturdays stack up. On 13 February, zone A leaves while zone C is already on holiday, and the English half term starts on Monday 15. On 20 February, zone B leaves, zone C goes back on Monday 22, and so do English families.

Easter: a long season in 2027

Easter is early in 2027, on Sunday 28 March. UK Easter holidays and Spain's Holy Week therefore fall in late March, while French spring holidays start on 3 April (zone C), 10 April (zone A) and 17 April (zone B). The result is an Easter season stretching from late March to 3 May, with a new set of holidays starting every Saturday in April. In 2026, April alone passed one million passengers.

Summer 2027

English schools finish on Thursday 22 July 2027; French holidays start on Saturday 3 July. July and August are record season: in summer 2026, Marrakech passed 30,000 passengers in one day. We do not name a specific peak day here, because no official source does.

The Film Festival in late November

The 23rd Marrakech International Film Festival runs from 20 to 28 November 2026, according to the festival's official regulations. It falls outside British and French school holidays, and we have no traffic figure specific to it.

What this means for your booking

• Book at least 48 hours before your flight, online, by phone or on WhatsApp. No booking is possible after that, holidays included.
• Booking early does not tie you in: cancellation is free more than 7 days before the flight, and changes are free in the same window, subject to availability.
• Book your departure too. Arrival and departure are booked separately, each with its own flight number, so a 2 or 3 January return is best arranged at the same time as your arrival.
• Add the transfer to the Fast Track. When you book both, the agent tells the chauffeur directly, including if your flight is late. Prices by area are on our Marrakech airport transfer page.

Fast Track does not exempt you from any check and guarantees no clearance time: the agent stays with you through the formalities and guides you to the priority lane when it is open. The full sequence is on our Marrakech Menara airport fast track page, and entry rules are in our guide to arriving in Morocco by air.

Book your arrival in Marrakech

Fast Track: 200 EUR per adult, 100 EUR aged 2 to 12, free under 2. Transfer: from 45 EUR per vehicle to the Medina, Gueliz or Hivernage. You see the total before paying, and it does not change. On the English site, pounds and dollars are shown for guidance; payment is in euros.

Book Fast Track and transfer at Marrakech. Questions first: +33 6 25 06 27 18, by phone or WhatsApp.

Frequently asked questions

When is Marrakech airport busiest?

Going by school calendars, at the start and end of European school holidays, above all at Christmas, Easter and in July and August. No source measures the busiest days; in 2026-27 the calendars point to the weekends of 18-19 December and 2-3 January, Saturdays 13 and 20 February and the period from late March to 3 May.

How long is the passport queue at Marrakech airport?

6.86 minutes on average on arrival in the first half of 2026, according to Airports of Morocco. That is an average: when several flights arrive together, the wait for a given flight can be longer.

Can I book Fast Track on Christmas Eve for the same day?

No, bookings close 48 hours before the flight time. For a flight on 24 December, book by the same time on 22 December at the latest.

What if my plans change?

Cancellation is free more than 7 days before the flight. After that, 50% of the price is due until 72 hours before, then 100%.

Does the Film Festival make the airport busier?

We have no official figure measuring its effect on traffic. The festival runs from 20 to 28 November 2026, outside British and French school holidays.