Mazour: 150 airlines operate in Morocco, and our goal is to assemble commercial aircraft within 10 years
Follow-up
The Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mazour, announced that 150 companies specializing in aviation have factories in Morocco, generating an annual turnover estimated at 2.5 billion euros. In an interview with the French newspaper “Le Point” during his participation at the Paris International Air Show, he explained that these companies provide 26,000 direct jobs concentrated in Casablanca, Tangier, Rabat, and Fez.
Mazour revealed that these enterprises are active in manufacturing aircraft structures, interior components, and wiring, indicating that Morocco continues to strengthen its position in this vital sector. He highlighted the existing partnership between Royal Air Maroc and the French company Safran in the area of CFM engines, which has expanded to include the new-generation Leap engines following French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Morocco last October.
The minister affirmed that Morocco offers a competitive industrial environment, thanks to low production costs of 25 euros per hour, compared to between 100 and 120 euros in Europe and America, alongside training 23,000 engineers annually, including 400 specialized in aviation manufacturing.
Mazour stated that Morocco plans to expand its activities in the sector to include equipping aircraft cabins and manufacturing landing gear, considering that the kingdom is capable, within the next ten years, of achieving full production capacity of commercial aircraft, with the sector’s turnover expected to double by 2030.
The minister also revealed that a study is underway regarding Royal Air Maroc’s acquisition of new aircraft, explaining that the airline is interested in the medium-range Airbus A220, which suits its routes to Europe.
Morocco made a strong debut at the Paris Air Show, where an important contract was signed with Boeing, which continues to reinforce its industrial presence in the kingdom. The Moroccan branch of the Safran Group signed an agreement with Boeing to produce spare parts for the Boeing 737 Max, as part of the continuity of the agreement signed in 2016 between the American company and the Moroccan government.
This agreement reflects Boeing’s desire to enhance supply chains in Morocco and solidify the kingdom’s position as a strategic industrial base in the global aviation sector.
