Morocco's Spirit site has recently begun production of the fuselage, front, and aft components for the Airbus A220.
Spirit AeroSystems, the world's leading manufacturer of airframes for civil and military aviation, celebrated on Monday in Casablanca the official launch of the production of fuselage components for the Airbus A220 at its North African site. Extended in Midpark.
Spirit Morocco has recently started producing fuselage, front, and aft components for the Airbus A220. It has developed its expertise in manufacturing Bombardier business jet components and has now joined Spirit locations that already supply Airbus' commercial software.
The fuselage components are shipped from Morocco for assembly at the Spirit site in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Spirit acquired both locations in 2020 as part of a major diversification strategy, adding significant Airbus content and continuing to grow Spirit's global footprint and after-sales services.
To this end, the Minister of Industry and Trade, Riad Mazour, said he is proud to present the largest aviation segment ever created in Africa today.
Today, we are proud to celebrate the rapid growth of this site, which His Majesty King Mohammed VI launched construction work in September 2013 at Medpark. Since then, this state-of-the-art factory specializing in the manufacture of aviation parts and structures has established itself as one of the pioneers in the aerospace industry in Morocco.
And to emphasize that: “The new Spirit program to produce Africa’s largest fuselage sections across this site, and high-tech parts for the Airbus A220, enhances the Kingdom’s position in complex, high-value-added operations, as well as the international impact of the national aviation ecosystem.
Our strong partnership with Spirit is making its way with the most enthusiasm and could eventually open up other opportunities that we would like to develop further in Morocco.”
For his part, Stephen Orr, Vice President and General Manager of Spirit AeroSystems in Morocco, indicated that the group has developed an ambitious roadmap to accelerate the growth of the site.
with the support of the Ministry of Industry, stressing that the group is pleased to expand its manufacturing capacity to include the latest Airbus program.
"We look forward to working with the Spirit team in Belfast, who also supply the integrated wing of the A220, and to building a strong and rewarding relationship with Airbus," he said.
In the same context, Michael Hawari, President of Airbus Africa and the Middle East, indicated that the Kingdom is already manufacturing spare parts for all Airbus commercial aircraft, including the A220. "This device is the latest addition to our production line and thus to our industrial footprint in Morocco," he added.
With this achievement, he continued, A220 parts manufacturing is now well integrated into the Moroccan aviation ecosystem and can proudly be described as "Made in Morocco".
To support: "Today we celebrate a new milestone in our relationship with Morocco and Spirit AeroSystems and look forward to continuing to build a strong and sustainable aviation industry together."
Spirit AeroSystems is one of the world's largest manufacturers of airframes for commercial, defense, business, and regional aircraft.
With expertise in aluminum and advanced composite manufacturing solutions, the company's main products include airframes, integrated wings, wing components, turrets and sweepers.
Spirit AeroSystems leverages decades of design and manufacturing experience to be the most innovative and reliable supplier of military airframes and high-temperature materials.
Spirit, which is headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, and has facilities in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Malaysia and Morocco, also serves the maintenance and repair market for commercial, regional and commercial aircraft.