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Marrakech – Maintenance Aero Maroc (MAM) has officially broken ground on a new maintenance hangar at Benslimane Airport. The ceremony, held on Wednesday, marks a significant step for Morocco’s aerospace industry.
The facility, spanning over 8,000 square meters, will focus on heavy maintenance operations for C-130 Hercules and F-16 aircraft. It will be dedicated to heavy maintenance and technological upgrades of these aircraft, which are major platforms of the Royal Air Forces.
The project is the result of a collaboration between MAM, a subsidiary of Sabena Engineering, Lockheed Martin, and MEDZ, a subsidiary of Caisse de Dépôt et de Gestion (CDG). This partnership brings together Moroccan, Belgian, and American expertise in a framework of sustainable industrial cooperation.
The hangar will be built according to international standards. It aims to create qualified jobs, facilitate skills transfer, and strengthen national industrial capabilities in the aeronautical sector. The center is expected to become operational by the second half of 2026.
“This project represents a strategic partnership. It will become a center capable of serving other countries in the Mediterranean region. This is not just infrastructure, it’s the embodiment of a collective ambition and mutual trust between partners committed to the future of aircraft maintenance,” said Stéphane Burton, CEO of Sabena Engineering.
Ray Piselli, Vice President of International Affairs at Lockheed Martin, shared similar sentiments. “This collaboration goes beyond building industrial capabilities. It creates highly qualified jobs, stimulates industrial growth in Morocco, and strengthens the ties between our nations,” he affirmed.
The MAM project was initiated in April 2022, with the signing of a joint venture in Rabat between Sabca, Sabena Aerospace (then grouped under Blueberry Group, now Orizio Group), Lockheed Martin, and Morocco, represented by Abdeltif Loudyi, Minister Delegate in charge of National Defense Administration.
The initial agreement planned for the creation of a 15,000 square-meter Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) and modernization center in Benslimane for military aircraft and helicopters, with an initial target of 300 highly qualified jobs.
The project experienced some delays in funding. The initial capital, set at MAD 1 million ($100 million), was largely consumed. At the general assembly in February 2023, it was decided to maintain the company’s activity without dissolving it.
In parallel, the project structure was strengthened with the creation of Maintenance Aeronautic Assets (MAA) in September 2022. This entity is 90% owned by MEDZ and 10% by Sabena Aerospace Engineering Blueberry. Capitalized at MAD 19.3 million ($1.93 million), MAA was tasked with acquiring the 80,000 square meter plot that will host the maintenance platform.
The launch of MAM continues the investments of the Blueberry group, present in Morocco since 2012 through Sabca Maroc.
This subsidiary, located in Nouaceur, invested more than MAD 180 million ($18 million) in a 16,000 square meter factory dedicated to the assembly of aerostructures for Pilatus, Airbus, and Dassault. It also contributed, in cooperation with the Royal Air Forces, to the modernization of Mirage F1 and Alphajet aircraft.
This new phase of the project comes as Morocco is modernizing its aviation sector. In July, American group L3Harris Technologies received a contract from the Royal Air Forces for the modernization of C-130 Hercules aircraft.
The program, signed with the Ministry Delegate for National Defense Administration, includes avionics systems upgrades, heavy maintenance, and complete engine overhaul.
The new site complements an already recognized ecosystem, illustrated by the presence of major players such as Safran, Stelia Aerospace, and Spirit AeroSystems, making the North African country one of the most dynamic aeronautical hubs in Africa.
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