Rabat - Salé

1Terminal area

From the terminal and the fence just to the west of it, between the terminal and the VIP terminal, some views of the civil ramp are possible. There is a viewing terrace, but it has been closed off recently.

Not really a spot, but you can spot some aircraft coming in with an airliner. You can take photographs of the odd civil aircraft while taxiing and of the military ramps from the runway.

2South eastern side

From the road leading to the terminal there is a possibility to have a peek at the other side of the runway. The distance is considerable, so come early to avoid heat-haze.

3South western approach

The main road on the south side of the airport offers a nice view of the runway. The best place to be is the large parking lot of the Metro megastore. Good views of landing aircraft can be gained, although they are a bit overhead and still high.

4Western side

The military enclave is situated in the north-western part of the airfield and is largely surrounded by walls. Take the exit just past the airfiekld and head north. The odd gate or build site on the opposite of the road offers only very slim chances of seeing anything. But you are rather close, so if a helicopter takes off or comes in at the back of the airfield, you might get lucky.

5North eastern approach, afternoon

The north eastern approach offers excellent viewing possibilities. To get there, keep on following the road past the military gate northbound. The wall ends, you pass a soccer pitch and enter a small village. Keep on following the road until the main road bends to the left, make a right into the dirt road past some houses here. This road is partly paved for the first mile but becomes a regular asphalt road later on. You will see the landing lights and airfield perimeter soon after. Follow this road and take the dirttrack to the left just before you reach the approach lighting.

6North eastern approach, morning

To avoid back light in the morning, drive a bit further and you can take a paved road to the left. Any place along this road or in the fields surrounding it, will be okay for nice viewing. Photographic opportunities are good as well, for those who dare... It might be wise to split up because the helicopters approach erratically. Sometimes they pass near spot 5, sometimes to the east of spot 6, sometimes they turn in tight in the centre of the airfield! The aircraft tend to take off from rwy04 and land on rwy22 so most of the time you will have the approaching aircraft coming by nicely.

7North east side ramp view

In the north east corner of the airfield the Gendarmerie Royale has an enclave. Many of their fixed wing fleet is based here as well as some helicopters. Keep on following the road past spots 5 and 6 along the airfield perimeter wall. In front of the Gendarmerie hangars and not far from the gate you can look over the wall and spot the aircraft outside, but only if you are in a high vehicle like a bus. From an ordinary car the views are blocked by the wall. The hangared ones are more difficult, but without heatwaves they should be do-able as well. You are just out of view of the watch tower because some bushes obscure its sight, and you are not near enough to the gate for them to see you immediately. But do not linger too long because the road leads to the gate and although it makes a sharp right turn afterwards, it is a dead end so no through traffic passes.