Departure
99%
vs 95% ▲ 3
MY FS FLIGHTS
MY FS FLIGHTS
Marrakesh Menara Airport lies on the southern edge of Marrakesh, at the foot of the High Atlas, and is the principal gateway to southern Morocco. It is a large, busy international field with a single long instrument runway, serving major European and regional carriers as well as retaining a military ownership link, making it an interesting and demanding destination for a simulator pilot flying into a high-traffic North African hub.
Marrakesh Menara Airport (ICAO: GMMX, IATA: RAK) serves Marrakesh, capital of the Marrakesh-Safi region of Morocco. It is owned by the Royal Moroccan Air Force and operated by Airports of Morocco, and functions as an international facility handling scheduled and charter traffic from Europe, the Arab world and, more recently, North America, as well as domestic flights to and from Casablanca. For a sim pilot it offers a single long, well-equipped runway with an ILS approach, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Atlas Mountains.
The airport sits in the Marrakesh-Safi region of Morocco, close to the city of Marrakesh itself. It is a large international aerodrome and can be expected to sit within controlled airspace commensurate with its status as a major international hub handling wide-body jet traffic.
Menara Airport has a single physical runway, 10/28, a hard-surfaced strip roughly 10,150 to 10,155 feet in length and lit for night operations. Runway 10 is equipped with an ILS approach, making it the primary instrument runway for arrivals.
Marrakech APP provides approach control on 119.7 MHz, and Marrakech TWR handles tower operations on 118.7 MHz. The field is equipped with an ILS Cat II landing system on runway 10, together with VOR, DME and NDB navigation aids to support instrument arrivals and departures.
During the Second World War the airport was used by the United States Army Air Forces Air Transport Command as a hub for cargo, transiting aircraft and personnel, serving as a stopover on the Cairo-Dakar transport route en route to Casablanca or Agadir. In August 1991 the airport reopened following an $8 million investment to extend the runway and refurbish the airport buildings, laying the groundwork for its later growth into a major international gateway.
Menara is now one of the busiest airports in Africa, handling well over nine million passengers a year and serving as a focus city or operating base for a number of major European carriers, alongside Royal Air Maroc services linking Marrakesh to destinations across Europe, the Arab world and Morocco's other cities. Its apron can accommodate up to fourteen Boeing 737-sized aircraft and four Boeing 747s, reflecting its role as a high-capacity international hub rather than a general aviation field.
