Airbus to expand production in Morocco as orders grow

Airbus

• Moroccan plant makes aircraft parts
• Components shipped to France
• 200 more employees this year

European aircraft manufacturer Airbus is expanding its production capacity in Morocco to meet growing demand for its aircraft.

The Airbus Atlantic Morocco Composites plant in Nouaceur aims to build parts for 75 A320 family aircraft per month by 2026.

The 30,000 square metres plant, with 17,000 square metres dedicated to workshops, “specialises in producing composite parts for [the] A320 aircraft range as a single supplier”, an Airbus spokesperson told AGBI.

The components, from cockpit linings and baggage compartments to landing gear hatches, are shipped to France for final assembly and global distribution.

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The spokesperson added that the subsidiary, which employs 1,000 people in Morocco, intends to add another 200 employees this year.

The company explained that there are no plans to set up an aircraft assembly line in Morocco.

In May Saudia, one of Saudi Arabia’s national carriers, ordered 105 aircraft from Airbus. The first batch is due for delivery in early 2026.

The order includes 12 A320neos and 39 A321neos for Flyadeal, Saudi Arabia’s low-cost airline.

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Morocco has expanded its aerospace sector and become a significant player in Africa’s aviation landscape.

In April US companies Kansas Modification Center and Integrated Aerospace Alliance announced a deal with Stratos Industries to build three widebody aircraft hangars at the Mohammed V International Airport in Casablanca and convert Boeing 777-300ER passenger jets into freighters.

Aviation in Morocco accounts for about 130 companies with a turnover of around $2 billion in exports and 17,000 employees, according to the US International Trade Administration.

Airbus has around 100 suppliers in Morocco, which produce parts for all its programmes. Its order book stands at 7,762 aircraft.

“Morocco is the industrial country that we have invested heavily in for the past 70 years, and even more so in the past 30 years,” said Patrick Derderian, Airbus’s director of international cooperation for Africa.

In February Morocco’s minister of industry and trade, Ryad Mezzour, revealed plans to manufacture the first entirely Moroccan-made aircraft within the next six years.