The Aeronautics sector, which employs 5,000 people and has an activity volume of Euro 250Mn, is expected to generate another 12,000 jobs by 2015, Equipment and Transport minister, Karim Ghellab said on Wednesday.
 

    Addressing a meeting, held on the sidelines of the opening of the first international exhibition for the aeronautic industry and services in Morocco (Aeroexpo Maroc), Mr. Ghellab underlined that "with a yearly growth of 20%, the aeronautics sector is expected to yield a Euro 400 turnover by 2015."

    Touching on the liberalization of air transport, he said that since the entry into force in 2004 of this policy, considerable results have been achieved. He recalled that 49 air companies operate from and to 41 countries and 73 international airports.

    For his part, Minister of Trade, Industry and New Technologies, Ahmed Chami, recalled that Morocco has implemented a set of measures to boost the sector mainly by extending the Nouaceur Technopolis (Casablanca area), which already hosts some fifteen internationally renowned companies, and ensuring adequate training.

   As for the Moroccan Office of Airports (ONDA) CEO, Abdelhanine Benallou, he noted that the kingdom will shortly create the higher Institute of Aeronautics and a training campus to promote training in this field.

    Billed for January 23-26 in the central city of Marrakech, aeroexpo is the first international exhibition in North Africa, bringing together major national and international aeronautics players.

     It aims, inter alia, to facilitate local and international operators' partnerships, make the aeronautics' sector an emerging one and offer a training space for engineering schools and institutes.