King Mohammed VI chaired on Friday, February 13, at the Royal Palace in Casablanca, accompanied by Crown Prince Moulay Hassan, a ceremony to present and launch the project for establishing a factory in Nouacer for the production of aircraft landing systems, belonging to the “Safran” group. This project reinforces Morocco’s position as a key destination and a real industrial player integrated into the heart of the global economy.
This new industrial site, which is one of the largest centers in the world for manufacturing landing systems for “Safran Landing Systems,” will be established in the heart of the integrated industrial platform dedicated to aviation and aerospace professions, “Medpark” in Nouacer. It aims to provide the Kingdom with an advanced industrial chain: precision manufacturing, high-tech assembly, testing, certification, and advanced maintenance.
This factory, dedicated to the Airbus A320 model, which will be built according to the latest standards and equipped with modern and efficient production mechanisms, reflects the special importance that the King gives to the industrial development of Morocco and highlights the unprecedented industrial dynamics that he has initiated to make the Kingdom a competitive industrial platform globally.
At the beginning of this ceremony, a promotional video was presented, highlighting the path of excellence that Morocco has taken under the King’s leadership, focusing on modernization and industrial innovation. This has allowed the Kingdom, thanks to highly qualified human resources and leading industrial and logistical infrastructures, to establish itself as a global reference in the aviation industry.
On this occasion, the Minister of Industry and Trade, Ryad Mezzour, emphasized in a speech before the King that Morocco has succeeded, in just two decades, thanks to his enlightened vision, in rising to a platform for aviation with a global reference.
Mezzour clarified that in the context of this leap that Morocco is experiencing in the aviation sector, the “Safran” group, a partner of the Kingdom for over a quarter of a century, occupies a unique position as it has accompanied the significant development of the Moroccan aviation industry and its competencies.
The minister added that this historical partnership will be further strengthened and solidified through the new-generation factory of “Safran Landing Systems,” which will be built on a land area exceeding 7 hectares.
According to Mezzour, the manufacturing of landing systems in Morocco is a testament to the Kingdom’s capability in precision technology and a new step towards enhancing the country’s industrial integration within the global value chains of the aviation industry.
He confirmed that this project also opens up prospects for the brilliance of young Moroccan talents, emphasizing that 25,000 globally recognized competencies are already working to energize the production chains of the national aviation industry.
For his part, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the “Safran” group, Ross McInnes, recalled the launch of the work on the aircraft engines industrial complex belonging to the group in October, under the King’s presidency. He expressed his happiness “to continue this technological leap with Morocco and embark with the Kingdom on a new adventure: that is, producing critically important systems aboard aircraft—landing systems.”
According to McInnes, this involves establishing one of the largest factories in the world for aircraft landing equipment and systems, which will be an industrial platform relying on high-tech methodologies and core expertise for the group.
He explained that this will “enable the group to accompany the increase in production of Airbus A320 aircraft and prepare the next generation of short- and medium-range aircraft.” He highlighted that this factory will play a pivotal role in developing an industrial model characterized by resilience and flexibility, with shortened industrial pathways, considering its proximity to the current assembly sites of “Safran” and Airbus assembly lines in Europe.
He further noted that this factory, which represents an investment exceeding 280 million euros and will create 500 job positions upon starting operations, will rely 100 percent on carbon-free energy and will also attract new suppliers to the Moroccan industrial ecosystem.
McInnes emphasized that this new site is more than just an industrial investment; it reflects the importance that the Kingdom holds for the group, confirming that this has become possible because the group does not produce in Morocco—the strategic country for Safran—but with Morocco.
Subsequently, King Mohammed VI chaired the signing ceremony of a protocol agreement concerning the establishment of the aircraft landing systems factory in Nouacer. It was signed by Ryad Mezzour, Minister of Industry and Trade, Karim Zidane, Minister Delegate in Charge of Investment, Integration, and Evaluation of Public Policies, and Ross McInnes, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the “Safran” group.
As the world’s leading manufacturer of short- and medium-haul aircraft engines and the third global player in aviation outside of aircraft manufacturers, the “Safran” group strengthens its presence in Morocco, where it has chosen to settle for 25 years, reflecting the qualitative progress of the Moroccan aviation industry platform thanks to the enlightened vision and leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
