20million

A POPULAR holiday destination just a few hours from the UK is getting a huge new £960million airport expansion.

Mohammed V Airport in Casablanca, Morocco is currently expanding its airport with a new terminal which will be able to handle up to 20million passengers a year.

The new terminal will be ‘H’ shaped and is expected to be operational by 2029, in time for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

It will have three levels with shops, green spaces and an airport hotel.

In addition, the terminal will be connected to Morocco‘s high-speed rail (LGV) network with links to Kenitra and Marrakech.

According to Architects’ Journal, the terminal will feature “sweeping undulations of the roof [evoking] the waves and movement of the Atlantic”.

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The project also includes a 3,700-metre runway, which will run alongside taxiways and a new 42-metre-tall air traffic control tower.

British architecture firm, RSHP – who designed London’s Millennium Dome and Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 and control tower – will design the new terminal at Mohammed V Airport.

Ivan Harbour, senior design director at RSHP, said: “The airport will be a celebration of light, warmth and human scale, undulating from grand central spaces to intimate and calming oases, a memorable experience for all travelling through it.

“It will be a state of the art, responsible, building that interprets and celebrates the landscape of its place to create a graceful threshold between Casablanca and the world beyond.”

The airport currently has two terminals and serves around 11.5million passengers each year.

Royal Air Maroc flies direct to Casablanca from London Heathrow with flights starting from £178 one-way.

Though, with the airport expansion there could be more services to the UK in the future.

Casablanca’s main attraction is the Hassan II Mosque, one of the largest mosques in the world.

It also has a popular seaside promenade with lots of hotels and restaurants as well as Habous Quarter (known for its Moorish-style architecture, olive souks and bookstores) and the Old Medina with traditional markets.

The city is pretty cheap as well – a three-course meal for two usually costs around £23.74, while a beer is less than £3.

And the famous 1942 film Casablanca was also set in the city during World War II.

Despite mostly being filmed in studios in California, the film depicts the bustling city of Casablanca when it was used by people fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe.

In other airport news, a major London airport has hiked its drop off fees to £10 – the second highest in the UK.

Plus, these are all the new routes launching from the UK’s biggest and busiest airport this spring and summer.

I MIGHT be biased when I say my seaside town is the best in the UK – but this year is set to be an exciting one for it.

From restored funiculars to new beach saunas, there are lots of new openings to be excited about.

Named one of the UK’s best places to live in 2024, and the top place to visit in the UK last year by Time Out, Folkestone has been on the up in recent years.

Folkestone West train station is also one of the fastest growing in the South East, welcoming more than 970,000 passengers from 2024/2025 – compared to 678,000 the previous year.

And one of the biggest transformations to the town will be the creation of the Bouverie Square park, set to become the town’s ‘green heart’.

Converting the current bus station, the new landscaping and seating are part of the mega £20million renovation of Folkestone.

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Fountains, bike stands and a small playground are also part of the plans.

Councillor Clive Goddard (Con) said: “To me, this is the up-and-coming part of Folkestone.

“Yards to the left, you’ve got Guildhall Street, with all the fine development happening down there. This seems to give the businesses a new lease of life.”

Folkestone’s Lower Leas Coastal Park is also getting a huge renovation after 25 years.

One of the largest free playparks in the region, the £750,000 project will see a huge new wooden climbing structure.

More seating, bike and buggy parking and landscaping are part of the plans, while the original pirate ship and sand diggers will remain.

It hopes to be complete in time for the summer holidays this year.

Cllr Connor McConville, Cabinet Member for Assets and Local Government Reorganisation, said: “We wanted something that would make people sit back and go ‘wow’ – this incredibly impressive design with fun equipment certainly does that.”

And opening next month is the Sea Scrub sauna – the largest beach sauna in the country.

Opening from March 14, guests will be able to book sauna sessions in the seaside pods.

It joins their current beach saunas in Margate, Faversham and Whitstable.

Guests can book an hour session for £20 at either the Scandinavian Sauna or Shepherds Hut Sauna.

And finally, after years of delays, the Leas Lift funicular is set to reopen.

Forced to close back in 2017, the restoration of the lift will connect the clifftop to the beach.

A new upgraded cafe is also part of the plans with a waiting room and outdoor terrace.

Estimated to cost up to £6million, the 138-year-old lift is one of only three water-balanced funiculars remaining in the UK.

So if you are planning a trip to a seaside town this summer? Folkestone is looking better than ever.

Trains from London take 52 minutes from St Pancras train station to Folkestone.

Need to know where to stay in Folkestone? Here is what to expect from the Rocksalt Rooms.

And here are some other top tips on where to eat and drink in Folkestone, according to the locals.