With parts of North Africa, most notably Libya, still struggling to emerge from the failed Arab Spring in the region, business aviation has continued to prove its worth as a vital transportation tool. This was the takeaway from the recent MEBAA Show Morocco, held in Casablanca. The event marks the first to be run outside Dubai by the Middle East and North African Business Aviation Association (MEBAA), keen as it is to stake a claim and push the newer African Business Aviation Association (AfBAA) to focus farther south.
With 2,000 visitors the show wasn’t huge but it was a start, and MEBAA founding chairman Ali Alnaqbi was clearly pleased. Speaking of the region in general, Alnaqbi said, “The African business aviation market has been resilient through the global financial crisis and new aircraft sales have fared better than in developed markets such as Europe and North America…Africa’s business jet fleet has more than doubled in the last 10 years.”
Against that backdrop, visitors were curious about Morocco and what it might have to offer, and officials were on hand to outline what the nation can provide the industry. Moroccan Transport Minister Aziz Rebbah explained, “Already, Morocco represents about 50 percent of the business jet activity in North Africa. Our geographic position linking Europe with Africa is well known, but also our historic and cultural links with the Arab world have made us an attractive base for many expanding Middle Eastern businesses…We recognize the value that business aviation brings to a national economy and understand why developing the infrastructure and the support services is so vital for its continued growth.” Overall, Morocco has more than 8,000 business aviation flights a year, which includes diplomatic flights and helicopters.
Rebbah continued: “The development of infrastructure is one of the key levers for higher growth and economic development in Morocco. In fact, all the commercial and touristic activities of Morocco will benefit from improved transport, compliant with the best international standards.”
MEBAA Exhibitors
Swissport Executive Aviation
The Swiss company received a license to provide ground handling and executive aviation services in Morocco two-and-a-half years ago, and is already operating at nine airports. The busiest are Casablanca and Marrakech but it also serves Rabat, Agadir, Fes, Oujda, Nadar, Tangier and Essaoira.
Air Ocean Maroc
Rabat-based Air Ocean Maroc offers charter services to destinations in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. However, its main business is medical air transport, said Mohammed El Masaoudi, the local company’s CEO. Its fleet includes a Citation VI, 404 Titan and King Air 200, and it recently added a Citation 650 so it can fly into central Africa for medevacs, for example.
El Masaoudi said that the company hopes to add another long-range aircraft next year so that it can fly farther, and link directly to the Middle East. He told AIN that maintenance is carried out at Ben Slimane Airport.
JP Jets
The company operates FBO facilities in Amman and Aqaba, Jordan, and believes Casablanca is the best place for it to put down roots in North Africa, said Nader Manna, general manager of the Jordanian JP Jets Group.
Its main goal at the show was to find a local partner.
“We’re here to discover the North African market and see opportunities to open a branch in Morocco, especially Casablanca,” said Manna, who explained that “people from the Gulf have switched from other destinations to Morocco, seeing it as safer than the likes of Libya.”
Manna added that the company views Mohammed V Airport as its first choice for an FBO, as it has “all the infrastructure” and is committed to business aviation.
G-Ops
G-Ops has opened an operations control center (OCC) in Casablanca, where it guarantees the same level of quality service as it does in Europe, said Franck Canu, European commercial director. “Morocco concentrates more than half of business aviation in North Africa, so it was obvious for G-Ops to start here,” said Canu.
G-Ops has more than 10 years of experience in ground support with flights ranging from business aviation/VIP to diplomatic, cargo, medical and military. The company assists in arranging traffic rights, permits and slots, handling worldwide, hotel booking, catering, limousines and helicopter transfer. It supervises more than 3,000 flights per year.
Prime Aviation Services
The Italian company, which says it is the first GA FBO in Italy, was at MEBAA to explore “the growing North African market.”
General manager Chiara Dorigotti said, “We offer the most complete set of ground-handling and concierge services at Milano Linate [Airport]…We have approximately 24,000 movements per annum in Milan, with eight hangars on a 65,000-square-meter [16 acres] apron.” He added, “African aviation is now strong, with traffic increasing, so it makes sense to present here at MEBAA.”
Lektro
The U.S. provider of electric towbar-less aircraft tugs was displaying its latest vehicle at the MEBAA event. It is ideal for business aircraft, and in fact any aircraft up to 120,000 pounds, according to training director Tyler Bellmore, who was attending MEBAA Show Morocco. He said that the company has already supplied tugs to Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa and is pursuing sales leads in a new market.
Jet Aviation
The Swiss company already has strong links in Morocco and professed to being curious to learn more about the market’s potential opportunities, although it has nothing specific in mind. Ruedi Kraft, vice president of business development for the company’s Basel completions division, said that Jet Aviation also wanted to support MEBAA in opening its new show. Kraft is on the MEBAA board.
XJet
XJet founder and CEO Josh Stewart was exhibiting at the show, aiming to attract North African customers to its new, huge FBO at London Stansted Airport that can accommodate two 747s, or two 777s alongside some large-cabin business jets. The company touts its private immigration and customs rooms, which allow travelers to “get straight off the airplane, into the car and be on the M25 motorway within seven minutes.”
Among the OEMs exhibiting were Bell Helicopter, Boeing Business Jets, Bombardier, Cessna, Dassault, Diamond Aircraft and Gulfstream; Saudi Private Aviation, NasJet, GDC Technics and Satcom Direct added to the diversity of exhibiting companies keen on developing business in North Africa.
