Royal Air Maroc has moved to deepen its reliance on Moroccan suppliers, signing a framework agreement with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce aimed at expanding local sourcing across its procurement chain.
The deal, concluded by Industry and Commerce Minister Ryad Mezzour and Royal Air Maroc chief executive Hamid Addou during the opening day of the eighth Marrakech Air Show, is intended to turn the airline’s purchasing power into a driver of domestic industrial growth. Rat...
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her than depending so heavily on imports for products, equipment and services, the carrier wants to give greater room to local companies able to meet the technical and quality standards required by aviation.
According to the company’s announcement, the initiative is linked to the airline’s continuing expansion. As Royal Air Maroc grows its fleet and widens its route network, its needs have risen sharply, and a significant share of those requirements is still sourced abroad. The new arrangement seeks, over time, to replace as much as 60% of those imported purchases with competitive Moroccan offerings.
Local media reports said the agreement covers a broad range of needs, including spare parts for the fleet, and forms part of a wider policy to substitute imports with domestic production. Le Desk reported that the airline’s ambitions are tied to longer-term fleet expansion plans, with the carrier aiming to quadruple the size of its fleet by 2037. That scale of growth, observers note, could create a substantial new market for Moroccan manufacturers, maintenance providers and service firms if they can align with the strict demands of the sector.
For the government, the accord fits neatly into its wider industrial policy. By anchoring more of Royal Air Maroc’s supply chain inside the country, officials hope to strengthen the national industrial fabric and encourage the development of capabilities that can serve not only the airline, but other sectors as well. The agreement therefore goes beyond procurement alone: it is being presented as a mechanism for building local expertise, broadening production and supporting higher-value manufacturing in Morocco.
The airline’s strategy also reflects a practical calculation. Aviation procurement is highly specialised, and any shift away from imports will depend on whether domestic suppliers can offer reliable alternatives at the right price and to the required standards. Even so, the 60% target signals an ambitious attempt to redirect a sizeable portion of Royal Air Maroc’s spending towards the local economy, with the state carrier positioned as a central customer for Morocco’s emerging industrial base.
Source: Noah Wire Services
