Over the past two decades, Morocco has made significant progress in the aviation sector and has thus been able to strengthen its ambition to assemble a complete aircraft within its borders, becoming Africa’s largest exporter of aeronautical equipment.
This is thanks to its ability to produce more than 40 key aircraft componentsin addition to sensitive parts manufactured in only five countries around the world.
The director of aviation, railways, naval industries and renewable energies at the Moroccan Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Afaf Saïdi, declared that Morocco was positioned as the leading manufacturer of aeronautical equipment and spare parts in Africa, ranking fifth in the world among the most active countries in the aviation sector. Saïdi told the Moroccan Press Agency that this achievement had been possible “only twenty years after the launch of its first initiative in this sector”highlighting Morocco’s ability to adapt to the dynamics of the global market.
The Director of Aviation also highlighted the solid economic development of the sector, with growth of more than 3.8% during 2023.. In addition, the value of its exports reached 21.864 billion dirhams (dollar = 10 dirhams) last October, an annual increase of 17.3%. Thus, the sector currently offers more than 23,000 jobs with a local integration rate of 42%, a real success given the economic challenges that the world has experienced in recent years. In this regard, the Minister of Industry, Ryad Mezzour, announced in July that Morocco aims to double employment in the sector by 2030.
This year has been instrumental in strengthening developments in the Moroccan kingdom’s aerospace industry, one of them being the hosting of the Morocco Air Show 2024 in Marrakechwhich in turn has facilitated new strategic partnerships with industry giants such as Boeing, Airbus and Bombardier, which have established factories and engineering centers in the country. Rabat, for its part, strives to keep pace with technological transformations by developing research and innovation in order to improve its international competitiveness.
Morocco’s achievements are reflected in confidence in the investment environment. In October alone, the Spanish group Asiture, specializing in the manufacture of aerostructures and engine parts, opened a new factory in the “Midparc” industrial zone of Nouaceur to create a facility dedicated to the manufacture of blades of engine, which resulted in an investment of more than 30 million dirhams. For its part, the port of Tanger Med has played a key role in supporting the growth of the sector through export operations.
Another important step was the opening of the Safran group’s aircraft engine manufacturing plant in Casablancawhose value is estimated at $300 million, this new investment aimed at creating hundreds of jobs and accelerating the transfer of advanced technologies.
Regarding the economic growth of the sector, Moroccan economist Idris Al-Fina said: “Over the past two decades, Morocco has experienced remarkable dynamism in many strategic sectors, including the aerospace sector, one of Morocco’s strong points, which had no real presence before 2010, and which is today the second largest source of foreign exchange in the country, attracting more than 140 international companies working in this sector, contributing approximately to 2.5 billion dirhams per year to the gross domestic product”, stressing that these achievements are the fruit of hard work to improve the investment climate.
Thus, Morocco was able to build a solid base in the manufacturing of engine parts, composite materials and wiring connectionsas well as in the installation of aircraft structural parts, strengthening the attractiveness of the country as a preferred investment destination.
The sector also saw a significant 18% increase in exports from the previous year, reaching Dh10.7 billion in the first five months of 2024. In turn, the sector has been supported by strategic alliances with international companies, such as SABCA Morocco, which inaugurated a new assembly plant for aeronautical structures, and Gal Aerospace, which is dedicated to the development of components for cabins of plane.
According to Afaf Saïdi, one of the proposed objectives is to be able to manufacture an integrated aircraft by 2030 by expanding the sector’s activities.strengthening collaboration with international partners and creating innovative and environmentally friendly solutions to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Although the sector’s exports still represent a small percentage compared to key industries such as the automotive sectorsteady growth shows promising dynamics that position Morocco as a candidate to excel in the aerospace industry and, eventually, space.
