North-American aerospace giant Pratt & Whitney inaugurated its manufacturing facility at Midparc, Nouaceur, this week, marking a milestone that industry observers describe as Morocco’s entry into the technological heart of aviation: engine component production. The 27,871-square-metre site, built in just fifteen months, represents a total investment of 76 million dollars, of which 25 percent was contributed by the Moroccan government, according to Laurent Bouyer, Vice President of Operations at Pratt & Whitney Canada.
The plant will produce static and structural components for a range of engine families, beginning with approximately 55 part types before scaling progressively toward a target of more than 6,400 components per year by 2030. The engines served include the PT6 — one of the most reliable turboprop platforms in aviation history — as well as the PW300 and PW500 families for business jets, and the geared turbofan (GTF) for commercial aviation. After production in Morocco, components are shipped to assembly centres in Canada for integration into finished engines.
The choice of Morocco was made following a global site selection process that assessed manufacturing infrastructure, talent availability, and long-term strategic fit. Collins Aerospace, a fellow RTX subsidiary, had already been established in Morocco since 2012, providing an existing industrial anchor. The Institut des métiers de l’aéronautique (IMA) was cited as a key training partner, with a third cohort already in preparation. The plant currently employs 77 people, rising to 200 specialised staff by 2030.
Hamid Benbrahim El Andaloussi, President of Midparc, placed the inauguration within a broader industrial narrative. Accessing engine technology, he argued, categorically changes a country’s position in the global aerospace value chain — a field historically reserved for a handful of industrialised nations. Morocco, with this plant and comparable projects under development at Midparc, is asserting its claim to that exclusive circle.
Pratt & Whitney’s parent group RTX employs more than 180,000 people worldwide and generates annual revenues of approximately 88 billion dollars. The Casablanca plant extends a global manufacturing footprint spanning Canada, Europe, and China, with Morocco now representing the group’s latest strategic node in an increasingly distributed industrial supply chain.