Aviation workforce in Morocco to double by 2030

Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto

• Sector employs 17,000
• ‘Better opportunities for young talents’
• Youth unemployment stands at 36%

Morocco has announced plans to provide employment for young people by doubling the number of people employed in the country’s aviation sector by 2030.

The aerospace industry in Morocco currently includes some 142 companies, employing a workforce of 17,000, and has an annual turnover in the region of $2 billion in exports. 

Ryad Mezzour, the Moroccan industry and trade minister, said the plan was to offer “better opportunities to our young talents, who are increasingly well trained and better equipped”.

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Morocco’s government has invested heavily in infrastructure and attracted global companies such as Airbus, Safran and Thales in recent years, through clusters such as the Midparc Free Zone on the outskirts of Casablanca.

The huge European aviation company Airbus announced plans in June to expand its production capacity in Morocco to meet growing demand for its aircraft.

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

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

In April, two 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.

In February, Mezzour revealed plans to manufacture the first entirely Moroccan-made aircraft within the next six years.

“All the companies already present on Moroccan soil have expressed their desire to double their capacities, while a good number of new players are trying to set up very quickly in Morocco to respond to the problems of the value chains to which Moroccan competitiveness and talent offer solutions,” said Mezzour, who was speaking at the Farnborough Air Show in London.

Unemployment in Morocco increased to 13 percent in 2023, with the farming sector hit particularly hard from ongoing droughts.

The rate was higher among young people at 35.8 percent, while 19.7 percent of graduates were without jobs.