Morocco – Strategic expansion of the aviation industry through a new major project by the Safran Group

The establishment of a state-of-the-art landing gear production center in Nouaceur underlines the Kingdom’s growing importance in the global aviation value chain.

Casablanca – An important milestone for Morocco as an industrial location was set in the Royal Palace of Casablanca on Friday. In the presence of King Mohammed VI. and Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan, the official presentation and the starting signal for a new major project by the French Safran Group took place. The project includes the construction of a specialized production facility for chassis in Nouaceur and marks a further deepening of industrial cooperation between the European technology group and the North African state.

King Mohammed VI accompanies the official starting signal for a 280 million euro investment in Casablanca

The ceremony in the palace provided the framework for the signing of a memorandum of understanding, which paves the way for an investment of more than 280 million euros. The signing was attended by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Safran Group, Ross McInnes, the Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, and the State Secretary for Investment, Karim Zidane.

This project is seen as a key building block in consolidating Morocco as an internationally competitive industrial platform. According to official information, the new factory is expected to create around 500 direct jobs in the long term. The location fits into the existing structure of the integrated industrial platform “Midparc”, which is already established as an important center for aerospace in the region.

The new production facility in Nouaceur specializes in highly complex systems for the Airbus A320 family

The planned factory, which will be built on an area of ​​more than seven hectares, is dedicated to a technologically demanding segment: the production and maintenance of landing gear systems for the Airbus A320 series. The scope of services at the site should go far beyond simple assembly. Capacity is planned for precision machining, high-tech assembly and comprehensive testing and certification procedures.

Ross McInnes, chairman of the Safran Group, described the project as a continuation of a “technological epic”. McInnes said the factory will play a key role in supporting the production ramp-up of the Airbus A320 family while preparing the next generation of short- and medium-haul aircraft. The geographical proximity to Airbus’ European assembly lines and the existing Safran locations also enables short distances and a flexible industrial concept.

Long-term cooperation and a focus on decarbonized industrial processes characterize the joint project

The partnership between the Safran Group and the Kingdom of Morocco has existed for over 25 years. In his address, Minister Ryad Mezzour highlighted that Morocco has developed into a world-class aviation platform over the last two decades. He pointed out that around 25,000 skilled workers are now working in the national production chains of the aviation industry. The local production of critical components such as chassis is evidence of the country’s increased technological competence.

A particular focus of this new building is on ecological sustainability. The plant will be operated with 100% decarbonized energy, which meets the current requirements for climate-neutral production in the aviation industry. In this context, McInnes emphasized that saffron is not only produced “in” Morocco, but also works “with” Morocco. This strategic orientation aims to increasingly integrate local suppliers into the industrial ecosystem and thus further increase regional added value.

The location of this project in the Midparc free trade zone underlines Morocco’s ambition to differentiate itself from other production locations through specialized high technology and to promote integration into global industrial value chains.