His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him, chaired today, Monday in Nouaceur, accompanied by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, the presentation and launch ceremony for the construction of the industrial complex for aircraft engines, belonging to the "Safran" group, the structural project that reinforces Morocco's position as a global strategic hub for the aerospace industry.
This complex, which will be hosted by the integrated industrial platform dedicated to aeronautical and space professions "Midparc" in Nouaceur, will include a factory for assembling and testing aircraft engines for the "Safran" group, and another dedicated to the maintenance and repair activities of the new generation LEAP aircraft engines.
As they constitute more than just an industrial investment, these two reference factories, which are characterized by efficiency, innovation, and sustainability, come to strengthen the distinguished relationship and exceptional partnership between "Safran" and Morocco, as well as reflecting the firm will of His Majesty the King to elevate the aviation sector to the highest levels of technological competitiveness.
At the beginning of this ceremony, an institutional film was shown highlighting the development witnessed by the aviation sector, one of Morocco's global professions in recent years, thanks to the bold reforms and structural projects launched by His Majesty the King.
On this occasion, the Minister of Industry and Trade, Mr. Ryad Mezzour, gave a speech before His Majesty, in which he confirmed that thanks to the insightful vision of His Majesty the King, Morocco has been able to become a global destination that cannot be circumvented in advanced sectors, noting that in less than two decades, and thanks to the ambitious, successive, and integrated strategies led by His Majesty, the Kingdom has been able to establish a world-class aviation industry.
Mr. Mezzour explained that the sector's turnover in exports has achieved a qualitative leap, as it increased from less than one billion dirhams in 2004 to more than 26 billion dirhams in 2024, indicating that this sector now includes more than 150 actors, including the largest global manufacturers, and represents a real interface for national industrial expertise.
On the other hand, the Minister mentioned that the "Safran" group, the Kingdom's historical partner for 25 years, is renewing its confidence in the Moroccan platform today by establishing an integrated complex for manufacturing, testing, maintenance, and repair of world-class aircraft engines.
According to Mr. Mezzour, this concerns the establishment of a factory for the maintenance and repair of aircraft engines (1.3 billion dirhams), with a maintenance capacity of 150 engines per year and providing 600 direct jobs by the year 2030.
He pointed out that it also concerns the development of a factory for manufacturing and testing commercial aircraft engines of the LEAP 1-A model, which is employed in particular in the "Airbus A320 Neo" aircraft models.
He stressed that this investment, which is worth 2.1 billion dirhams, with an assembly capacity of 350 engines per year, would provide 300 highly qualified jobs by 2029.
He highlighted that this project, which is the second site for the production of the LEAP-1A engine globally, will enable the consolidation of the Kingdom's position within the global value chain of aircraft engine manufacturers, and will allow the attraction of new manufacturers to the national system, noting that the aviation industry makes its ability to create permanent and qualified jobs for young people its first bet.
For his part, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the "Safran" group, Mr. Ross McInnes, explained that His Majesty the King's chairmanship of this ceremony has a deep significance for his group, and embodies, not only the interest that His Majesty gives to industrial development in the Kingdom, but also the ideal investment environment that His Majesty the King continues to strengthen through an enlightened, bold, and forward-looking vision.
After highlighting the distinction of the economic and industrial relations between France and the Kingdom of Morocco, Mr. McInnes confirmed that his group "does not only produce in Morocco, but with Morocco", the strategic country for the company "Safran".
On this occasion, he was keen to renew his confirmation of the "Safran" group's determination to maintain this strong relationship with the Kingdom, saying, "Together, we are committed to the development and economic acceleration of the Moroccan aviation sector."
In the same context, the CEO of the "Safran" group, Mr. Olivier Andriès, confirmed that the choice to establish the new industrial complex for aircraft engines – Safran in Morocco was not a coincidence, stressing that his group "chose a country that enjoys competencies, modern infrastructure and a stable macroeconomic framework".
He added, "But more importantly, we were guided by the confidence derived from the momentum that Your Majesty leads to make the Kingdom a globally competitive industrial platform."
Mr. Andriès continued, saying: "Today, these two projects and the ongoing expansions in three other sites belonging to us represent an investment worth more than 350 million euros, and will enable the creation of thousands of jobs for the aviation industry sector system in the entire Kingdom."
After that, His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God protect him, chaired the signing ceremony of three agreements, the first of which concerns a memorandum of understanding that defines the commitments of the two partners, the state and the "Safran" group, to establish an assembly and testing factory for the French group's aircraft engines.
It was signed by Mr. Ryad Mezzour, Mr. Karim Zidan, the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government, in charge of Investment, Convergence and Evaluation of Public Policies, and Mr. Olivier Andriès.
The second agreement is a memorandum of understanding related to supplying "Safran" sites with renewable energies.
It was signed by Mr. Abdelouafi Laftit, Minister of Interior, Mr. Ryad Mezzour, Mr. Mohamed Ouhmad, Secretary General of the Energy Transition Sector, Mr. Olivier Andriès, Mr. Youssef Tazi, General Director of the Regional Multi-Service Company Casablanca-Settat, Ms. Fatima Kannou, General Director of the Regional Multi-Service Company Rabat-Salé-Kenitra, and Mr. Adil Khamis, General Director of the Wind Energy Company in Morocco – Nariva.
The third document is an agreement to establish an assembly and testing factory for the "Safran" group's aircraft engines in Midparc.
It was signed by Mr. Khalid Safir, General Director of the Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion, Mr. Stéphane Cueille, President of Safran Aircraft Engines, Mr. Marouane Abdati, General Director of "MEDZ" Company, and Mr. Hamid Ben Ibrahim Al-Andaloussi, President-General Director of Midparc.
After that, the LEAP-1A aircraft engine was unveiled before His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God protect him, the new generation engine that embodies the latest innovations in terms of materials and manufacturing processes.
On this occasion also, His Majesty King Mohammed VI took a souvenir photo with a group of young people in the process of training at the Institute of Aviation Professions in Nouaceur in order to access the future factory for the maintenance of aircraft engines, before supervising the launch of the construction works of the "Aircraft Engines" industrial complex belonging to the "Safran" group.
As a global leader in the manufacture of short and medium-haul aircraft engines and the third global player in the field of aviation outside aircraft manufacturers, the "Safran" group strengthens its presence in Morocco, where it has chosen to settle for 25 years, which reflects the qualitative progress of the Moroccan aerospace industry thanks to the enlightened vision and leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
