Morocco's aviation industry has grown rapidly precisely because of as a subcontracting and manufacturing center next to Europe. In 2025, there were approximately 150 aerospace companies, The annual turnover of the industry was approximately 2.5 billion euros and jobs about 26 000. Most of the activity is concentrated in the regions of Casablanca, Tangier, Rabat and Fez.

Production is not limited to a simple assembly process. In Morocco, it is already being manufactured and processed, among other things: parts of aircraft structures, wiring, composites, cockpit and passenger components, mechanical parts and engine components. The Moroccan Ministry of Industry describes the strengths of the sector as being especially wiring, mechanics, thin-film processing, composites, and mechanical assembly.

Casablanca–Nouaceur is the core of the aviation industry

The most important concentration is near Mohammed V Airport. Nouaceur/Midparc. Midparc is an industrial area based on a 125-hectare open space, specifically designed for aerospace and high-tech companies. It offers ready-made industrial premises, investment services, training, and a logistical location right next to the airport.

This makes it interesting also for a Finnish company, because not everything needs to be built from scratch.

Saffron is very important

Safran already has over 100 stores in Morocco 5,500 employees and 10 locations. It manufactures and maintains systems related to engines, wiring, nacelles, avionics, and composites there, among other things.

A particularly significant new phase is the one being built in Nouaceur. Safran aircraft engine complex, This will include both the LEAP engine assembly and testing facility and the maintenance and repair operations for the next-generation LEAP engines.

This raises Morocco's position significantly higher in the value chain: the country no longer only manufactures wiring harnesses or simple structures, but is also moving towards engine configuration, testing, and MRO operations.

Composites are another strong area

Hexcel has production in Midparc that focuses on composite structures for the aerospace industry and the so-called honeycomb material. The company chose Morocco precisely because of the proximity of its customers, its skilled workforce, logistics, and the aerospace cluster.

This is an interesting point for Finns, because, for example material technology, machining, measurement, quality control and automation can directly join such factories.

Collins Aerospace is building its own supply chain to Morocco

Collins Aerospace has developed its own sourcing ecosystem in Morocco. The goal is to grow the local supplier network and have more components manufactured in Morocco. According to the original plan, the ecosystem could create approximately 800 jobs and a cumulative turnover of one billion dollars by 2032.

In 2025, new investment projects were also signed to strengthen Collins’s local sourcing.

This is a very important signal for Finnish companies: Morocco is specifically trying to attract new Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers into the aviation industry's supply chain.

New Nordic companies are also coming

In June 2026, Swedish Trelleborg Opened a new aerospace factory in Midparci that manufactures sealing systems. The investment was approximately 130 million dirhams, and the target is 150–200 jobs.

This is an interesting comparison for Finland, because it shows that even Nordic high-tech companies can find a viable production base in Morocco.

What could a Finnish company practically sell?

In my opinion, the best opportunity is not manufacturing the aircraft in Finland and exporting it to Morocco, but technology, components and production solutions.

Possible areas include:

• CNC machining and precision manufacturing
• production automation and robotics
• measurement and quality control systems
• testing equipment
• avionics electronics
• sensors
• cabling and connection technology
• Composite manufacturing technology
• surface treatment
• Industrial software
• cybersecurity
• maintenance and predictive maintenance
• energy efficiency in aircraft factories
• MRO equipment and diagnostics.

The strategy of a Finnish company could therefore be, for example:

Finnish testing system → Safranin factory in Morocco

or

Finnish measurement technology → Collins’s local correspondent

or

Finnish automation → Hexcel’s composite plant

How could we get into the market?

The three realistic routes are:

1. Directly to the OEM/Tier 1 company
for example, Safran, Collins or a company in the Airbus ecosystem.

2. Through a local Moroccan aerospace journalist
that is, a Finnish company sells a component or system to a local Tier 2/Tier 3 operator.

3. Own production or assembly in Midparc
if demand grows sufficiently.

The third option is interesting because the Moroccan state supports aviation investments, among other things through industrial development, education, and some investment costs. According to the Ministry of Industry, educational support can in certain cases rise to approximately 6,000 euros per person, and investment subsidies can also be targeted at land, infrastructure and education costs.

Why does Morocco attract the aviation industry?

In simple terms, the combination is very strong:

Europe close by + competitive workforce + trained personnel + airport + free zone + government support + ready aerospace ecosystem.

This creates a self-reinforcing effect. When Safran comes, its suppliers also want to get close to it. When Hexcel comes, its customers and subcontractors get an additional reason to locate in the same place.

That is why the most important story in Morocco’s aviation sector is no longer “cheap manufacturing”, but The rise of the technological value chain towards engines, composites, avionics, MRO and precision manufacturing.