Morocco Takes Flight at Paris Air Show, Signaling Its Rise as an Aerospace Hub
Rabat – Morocco is taking center stage at the 55th Paris Air Show in Le Bourget between June 16-22, joining more than 2,500 exhibitors, over 130,000 professional visitors, and 322 official delegations.
Morocco's Participation is far from ceremonial, as it's a carefully crafted move in the country's broader strategy to cement its role as a high‑value aeronautics hub.
From the outset, the Moroccan delegation has outlined the strategic importance of the Bourget showcase. Minister of Industry Ryad Mezzour and Minister of Transport Abdessamad Kayouh, in addition to Minister in charge of investment Karim Zidane, lead the delegation, which also includes top executives from Royal Air Maroc, AMDIE, ONDA and GIMAS.
Strategic presence
The delegation represents Morocco with a clear message: Morocco is open for business, with an ecosystem ready to scale.
The AMDIE-GIMAS 'Pavillon Maroc' hosts six homegrown champions in wiring, precision machining, and aerostructure. Alongside exhibition stands, a packed schedule of one‑on‑one meetings will connect Moroccan suppliers to decision‑makers and international companies operating across the entire aerospace value chain.
The discussions are expected to promote the investment opportunities available in industrial zones like Nouaceur and Tangier Free Zone, where companies benefit from tax incentives, fast-track administrative support, and access to a skilled labor force trained through public-private programs.
Beyond these activities, Morocco's presence at the Paris Air Show reflects a deeper strategy built around core priorities. Over the past two decades, Morocco has identified aeronautics as a 'strategic sector' capable of driving industrial diversification, job creation, and technology transfer.
Today, over 140 firms operate in Morocco's aerospace cluster, spanning wiring harnesses, precision machining, assembly, and engineering services, with a local integration rate exceeding 40%.
Under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, 'a strong aerospace industry has developed over the past 20 years, now offering incredible potential and opportunities for global players in the sector,' said Mezzour in a statement about Morocco's participation in the Paris Air Show.
The country is focused on upgrading its industrial base by moving up the value chain. This includes producing wiring harnesses and simple subassemblies, as well as manufacturing high-precision engine components that require tighter tolerances, advanced alloys, and more sophisticated quality control systems.
Nouaceur, Morocco's aerospace engine
Morocco is also working to attract major international investors, with recent examples including Pratt & Whitney Canada's new engine parts facility in Midparc Free Zone in Nouaceur. The new manufacturing facility, inaugurated in May 2024, served as a key milestone in the diversification of Morocco's aerospace ecosystem.
Named Pratt & Whitney Morocco (PWM), the plant will machine high‑precision static and structural parts for the PT6 and other turboprop engines. Beyond its immediate output, PWM symbolizes the shift from assembling airframe components to manufacturing engine parts, a change that demands advanced machining centers, tighter tolerances, and a workforce trained in aerospace metallurgy and quality assurance.
Notably, Canada's Shimco, a global provider of engineered fastening solutions and assembly technology, also established a presence in the Midparc industrial platform at Nouaceur,
In addition, the country is investing heavily in human capital, as it is expanding training programs at the Institut des Métiers de l'Aéronautique (IMA) and strengthening partnerships between original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Moroccan universities. The goal is to certify thousands of technicians in critical areas such as CNC machining, metrology, and composite materials. This aims to ensure that the workforce can keep pace with the industry's technological demands.
In Nouaceur, the Pratt & Whitney Morocco plant is already installing ultra‑high‑precision five‑axis machining centres, poised to deliver stator rings and structural brackets for the PT6 turboprop engine. Shimco's fastening‑technology line, meanwhile, will serve both aerospace and adjacent sectors, leveraging Midparc's connectivity to Mohammed V Airport and the Tanger Med port.
This twin push of deepening aeronautics while knitting together automotive and renewable‑energy investments reflects Morocco's ambition to hedge against single‑industry risk.
The country aims to boost installed solar and wind capacity by 6.5 GW by 2027, targeting a 52 % share of renewables by 2030.
In the medium term, Nouaceur and the surrounding Free Zones are poised to become a dynamic corridor where aerospace, automotive, and green energy industries intersect.
Morocco's strategy is delivering results, as local integration rates in aeronautics have climbed above 40 %, exports now exceed $ 2 billion annually, and the aerospace workforce tops 40,000.
But more than numbers, the country is winning investors' trust. By offering turn‑key investment packages, streamlined logistics, and a growing cadre of certified technicians, Morocco has shown that it can deliver the precision and reliability once exclusive to traditional European clusters. Tags: AeronauticsAerospaceParis Air Show
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