Aviation industry: The sector gains momentum
The aeronautical platform achieved 16 billion Dirhams (about 1.6 billion USD) in exports during the first nine months of the year. Better still, the sector is preparing to exceed 20 Moroccan billion Dirhams (2 billion USD) by the end of 2022 following the resumption of orders from major contractors.
“Today, the aeronautical platform is involved in several aircraft programs, in particular with renowned leaders such as Airbus and Boeing… In addition, the sector is diversifying its value chain. It is moving upmarket with 35% of reactors, including sensitive reactor parts that are under extremely high pressure in our factories in Casablanca. We are at the very top in terms of what can be done in terms of precision, machining, and other fields… Aeronautics is today our showcase in terms of cutting-edge technology and precision”, says the minister in charge. Invited by the Club de L’Economiste, Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Trade, said he was proud of the progress made by factories and equipment manufacturers specializing in aeronautics made in Morocco, especially since in each plane, each fleet wherever it is… there is at least one part made in a factory based in Morocco, essentially in Casablanca. “We started from hyperspecialization with a large engine-manufacturing group who had trust in made-in-Morocco products and services, and it is around this manufacturer that we have built the entire production base. Then we moved towards more technologically accessible products such as fuselage… Moreover, we are starting to produce the whole aircraft in the form of the fuselage, parts of the wings, and content with high added value… To put it simply, we are starting to get into the carcass of the plane”, the Minister of Industry proudly announced. Another novelty and not the least is the fact that the sector has also begun to approach the cabin, the aircraft yokes, the dashboards, and other parts… It is also planned to work at a later stage on cabin equipment, the seats, and other elements. A whole background work has been started to move upmarket in terms of local integration. It should be recalled that the current rate of integration of made-in-Morocco components ranges between 40 and 42%, in accordance with the goals as set by the supervisory authority for the end of 2022. “This industry is of paramount importance not so much in terms of jobs, nor on local integration, or even less on exports… It is Morocco’s showcase in terms of precision, quality, and technology”, said Minister Ryad Mezzour. Today, the aeronautical sector is achieving a high performance with more than 58.5% in exports. Better still, “we will reach, for the first time in history 20 billion Dirhams of exports in a sector which was completely devastated a year and a half ago”, recalls Mezzour, who added that “somehow, the crisis has been very useful for this sector, because aeronautics is an industry that is based on 15-year programs. As a result, when you miss out on a program, you miss out on 15 years of ability to integrate it. And this crisis not only stopped certain programs, but it made it possible to create others for a restart with new assets”.
Amin RBOUB
