Casablanca, Morocco — Moroccan officials want to turn the country into an aviation hub, attracting investors looking to extend their supply chains to more countries with available and affordable workers.
The North African kingdom is among a longer list of countries seeking contracts with big manufacturers looking to speed up production and deliver more planes to meet demand. Companies like Boeing and Airbus – as well as the manufacturers that make their components – are outsourcing design, production and maintenance to countries from Mexico to Thailand.
In Morocco, efforts to grow the country’s $2 billion-a-year aerospace industry are part of a years-long effort to transform the largely agrarian economy by subsidizing plane, train and automobile makers. Officials hope it dovetails with efforts to grow Moroccan airlines, including state-owned Royal Air Maroc.
“The needs are huge and we are in a very good position,” said Hamid Abbou, the airline’s chief executive. “Most of Europe’s big suppliers are struggling to get people to work in this industry. “We don’t have that problem.”
Despite hopes among its supporters, the air transportation industry faces headwinds. When demand rebounded after much air traffic ground to a halt during the pandemic, manufacturers faced challenges building enough planes to meet airline demand. For Boeing, delays caused by supply chain issues were compounded by high-profile emergencies and deadly accidents that further reduced deliveries.
From Eastern Europe to Southeast Asia, new levels of demand have forced manufacturers to look for new locations to manufacture and repair parts.
Safran Aircraft Engines, a French manufacturer, ships engines for Boeing 737 and Airbus 320 to a repair plant outside Casablanca every six to eight years and then ships them back to airlines in countries such as Brazil, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The company is among 130 in the sector active in Morocco, where parts ranging from wings to fuselages are produced in an industry that employs 42% women, a proportion that industry lobbyists say is higher than the from their counterparts in the European and North American manufacturing industry.
Although many companies see Morocco as a source of comparatively cheap labor, the industry and government have worked to train skilled workers at IMA, an institute for aeronautical professions in Casablanca.
At an event to celebrate Safran’s 25-year partnership with Royal Air Maroc, Safran CEO Jean-Paul Alary said he expected Morocco’s aviation industry to continue expanding, particularly as demand increases in The entire industry and companies face labor shortages in Europe.
“It is access to well-qualified and well-trained talent,” Alary said of Morocco. “They are the key actors to achieve our objectives.”