Operational
Airport Profile · MA

Rabat-Salé Airport

RBA GMME
Rabat, MA Africa/Casablanca Multi-airline hub
1.2M
Annual passengers
40+
Destinations
16
Airlines
1
Runway
Where RBA ranks
Among 534 international airports — and 75 in Africa
View full ranking →
Passengers
# 507 worldwide
# 66 Africa
Direct routes
# 287 worldwide
# 15 Africa
Airlines
# 391 worldwide
# 29 Africa
Runways
# 472 worldwide
# 67 Africa
Terminals
# 212 worldwide
# 26 Africa
Area
# 471 worldwide
# 69 Africa
Elevation
# 222 worldwide
# 35 Africa
Rabat–Salé Airport is the principal airport serving the administrative capital of Morocco, Rabat, and the adjacent city of Salé, handling roughly 1 million passengers annually. Though considerably smaller than Casablanca's Mohammed V International Airport (CMN) 85 km (53 mi) to the south, RBA plays an outsized diplomatic and political role as the airport of choice for heads of state visiting Morocco and for much of the diplomatic corps, embassy, and royal-court traffic generated by Rabat's status as the seat of government of the Kingdom of Morocco. The Royal Moroccan Air Force maintains significant facilities at the airport and uses it as the base for VIP and state aircraft. RBA is served primarily by Royal Air Maroc (RAM) subsidiary Air Arabia Maroc, Ryanair, Transavia France, easyJet, TUI fly Belgium, and Vueling, with European service concentrated on Paris, Brussels, Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, and London. Flag carrier RAM itself operates from RBA on more limited schedules than from CMN, with the airline's main Moroccan hub remaining Casablanca. Seasonal charter and umrah flights to Jeddah and Medina provide additional capacity. A single runway, 04/22, measures 11,811 ft (3,600 m) — generously sized relative to current commercial traffic, reflecting the airport's military history and VIP-operations capacity requirements. The commercial passenger terminal is modest in scale with two jet bridges. RBA sits 9 km (5.6 mi) northeast of Rabat city center in the Salé commune, on the north bank of the Bou Regreg river across from the Rabat kasbah. The airport is one of the closest major airports to a national capital city center in Africa.

Global route network

Every direct destination, colour-coded by distance

Most popular route
RBA → CDG
483 observed departures
Longest route
RBA → AUH
5,971 km
Countries reached
17
Via direct passenger flights

Where can I fly from here?

Top direct destinations, sorted by daily frequency

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Airport data

Authoritative facts sourced from the airport authority

Elevation
276 ft (84 m)
Above sea level
Runways
1 · 11,483 ft max
1 runway, ASP
Passengers
1.2M/yr
Reported 2024
Airlines
16 carriers
FR · 3O · AT
Hub status
Mega-hub
Multi-airline hub
Area
Data Coming Soon
Total airport area

Beyond the major hubs

RBA also serves 23 regional airports across 7 countries — secondary cities, islands, and niche destinations not ranked on BigAirports.

23
Regional airports
7
Countries served
6
Airlines operating
544
Observed flights
AirportRoutes.com

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Getting to the airport

Ground transport options from Rabat

Public transportation

A Stareo bus shuttle operates between RBA and Rabat Ville railway station via central Salé for MAD 20–30 (EUR 2–3), with service timed to major arrivals. Suburban ONCF commuter trains on the Rabat–Kenitra line stop at Salé station, approximately 4 km (2.5 mi) from the airport, connected by taxi or local bus. No direct rail service to RBA exists.

Taxis & rideshare

Grand taxis (large shared Mercedes) and petit taxis (city taxis) operate from RBA. Fares to Rabat Agdal and central Rabat run MAD 100–150 (EUR 10–15) for a 15–20 minute trip by petit taxi; negotiating the fare before departure is standard as meters are not consistently used at airports. Casablanca by grand taxi runs MAD 600–800 (EUR 60–80) for a 90-minute trip. Careem operates in Rabat.

Rental cars

Avis, Hertz, Europcar, Budget, Sixt, and a handful of Moroccan local operators maintain counters in the arrivals hall. From the airport, the N6 connects directly to Rabat city center in 10 km (6 mi), and the A1 Rabat–Tangier motorway and A3 Rabat–Casablanca motorway are accessed via the Rabat ring road. Casablanca lies 85 km (53 mi) south via the A3. Morocco drives on the right.

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