Ambition. Moroccan officials want to transform the country into an aviation hub and attract investors looking to expand their supply chains to more countries with available and affordable workers.
According to Fox News, the Kingdom is part of a longer list of countries vying for contracts with major manufacturers looking to boost production and supply more aircraft to meet demand.
Companies like Boeing and Airbus – as well as the manufacturers that make their parts – outsource design, production and maintenance to countries from Mexico to Thailand.
+ “The needs are enormous and we are in a very good position” +
In Morocco, efforts to grow the $2 billion a year aerospace industry are part of a yearslong campaign to transform the largely agricultural economy by subsidizing plane makers, trains and cars.
Officials hope it is part of efforts to expand Moroccan airlines, including state-owned Royal Air Maroc.
“The needs are enormous and we are in a very good position,” said Hamid Abbou, CEO of the airline. “Most major suppliers in Europe are struggling to employ people in this sector. We don’t have this problem. »
As demand recovered after much air travel ground to a halt during the pandemic, manufacturers faced challenges building enough planes to meet airline demand.
For Boeing, delays due to supply chain issues were compounded by high-profile emergencies and fatal accidents, further reducing deliveries.
From Eastern Europe to Southeast Asia, new levels of demand have forced manufacturers to look for new places to build and repair parts.
+ 130 companies in Morocco +
Safran Aircraft Engines, a French manufacturer, sends engines for Boeing 737s and Airbus 320s to a repair plant outside Casablanca every six to eight years and then returns them to airlines in countries such as Brazil, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The company is one of 130 companies in the sector operating in Morocco, where parts from wings to fuselage are produced in an industry that employs 42% of women – a percentage that lobbyists say is higher than its counterparts in the European Union. and North American manufacturing industries.
Although many companies view Morocco as a relatively cheap source of labor, industry and government have made efforts to train skilled workers at the IMA, an aviation professions institute in Casablanca.
At an event celebrating Safran’s 25 years of partnership with Royal Air Maroc, Safran CEO Jean-Paul Alary said he hoped the Moroccan aviation industry would continue to grow, especially as demand increases across the sector and companies in Europe will face labor shortages.
“It is access to well-qualified talent that is well-educated,” Alary said of Morocco. “They are the most important actors in achieving our objectives. »
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