The Sector Has 142 Active Companies, Created 20,000 Jobs, and Had a Turnover of $2 Billion Last Year
During the inauguration of the new assembly plant of the Belgian company Sociétés Anonyme Belge de Constructions Aéronautiques (SABCA) in Nouaceur, the secretary general of the Moroccan Ministry of Industry and Trade, Taoufiq Moucharraf, underlined the good health of the country’s aviation industry. According to Musharraf, Morocco has “one of the most competitive aeronautical platforms in the world”.
The Secretary-General stressed that the Kingdom, thanks to the guidelines set by the Monarch Mohammed VI, has achieved “a deep integration of existing systems” and is working to develop “the areas of space, avionics, interior cabins and services ,” reports Maroc Diplomatique.
Musharraf also pointed out that the country’s aviation sector has 142 active and growing companies, created 20,000 jobs and brought in $2 billion in 2021 . Likewise, local integration increased by more than 40%, as did exports, which increased by 53.3% in the first 9 months of the year.
“We have achieved a common success and we intend to continue this second phase of development of the Moroccan aeronautical platform focused on activities with higher added value, resilient to change and in line with industry trends,” Moucharraf told members of the Board of Directors of the Orizio Group, of SABCA and to the representatives of Pilatus.
The secretary general also expressed Morocco’s ambition to move “faster” in order to attract more industries and sectors, such as defense and space. He also highlighted the need to integrate women into the industry .
“The aeronautical sector in Morocco is full of possibilities. It has been strengthened and gained in added value, in particular thanks to public-private partnerships”, he explained. “Together, we will continue our journey towards more new successes ,” he added.
The aviation industry is one of the largest in the country . According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, 41% of aircraft parts are of Moroccan origin. Given this importance, the ministry has set itself the objective of making the aeronautics sector a priority within the framework of the new Industrial Acceleration Plan 2021-2015.
The kingdom has become the region’s aerospace center in recent decades, hosting the headquarters of several foreign companies , such as the American company Honeywell. Last year, the American company opened a new factory dedicated to the manufacture of aeronautical equipment, as did the Le Piston Français group.
Morocco has also given an important place to this industry in its relations with Israel, its new international partner after the reestablishment of ties between the two countries in December 2020. Last March, Rabat formalized an agreement with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) with the aim of strengthening bilateral cooperation in this sector .
