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The Chief Executive Officer of Moroccan Airport Authority (ONDA), Zouhair Mohamed El Aoufir, has disclosed that the country accounts for 50 percent of the “private flight sector” in North Africa. El Aoufir made the remark at a press conference on Monday ahead of the 2019 Middle East and North Africa Business Aviation Association’s (MEBAA) Show.

The third edition of MEBAA Show is set to take place on September 25-26 at the Marrakesh Menara Airport, Morocco. At the last edition of the biennial MEBAA Show, the American embassy in Morocco said, “Aerospace is now the largest sector in Morocco’s economy. And that is the reason the Marrakech Air Show has continued to grow every year.”

In 2017, Morocco exported more than $1.2 billion worth of aeronautical products, according to the Morocco World News. Jobs in the aviation sector increased by 50 percent and more than 20 million passengers transited one of the 17 airports in Morocco.

Last year, the government also inaugurated the Moroccan Private Aviation Academy (MAPA) to provide training for ground engineers and pilots, the reports.

According to ONDA, Morocco aims to bring in 100 new investors, create 23,000 new jobs, and generate $1.6 billion in revenue in the aerospace sector by 2020. Business aircraft movements within the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are also expected to reach 175,000.

“Morocco is a high traffic market for both business and leisure private aviation travel, which forms an integral part of our growing aerospace industry,” said Mohammed Sajid, Morocco’s Minister of Tourism, Air Transport, Crafts and Social Economy. “The MEBAA Show plays an important in giving the industry access to these opportunities.”

The 2019 MEBAA Show in Morocco will convene business aviation suppliers, providers and buyers to network and establish new relationships in the MENA region.

MEBAA is a non-profit Emirati organisation and a member of the International Business Aviation Council (IBAC). Established in 2006, MEBAA acts as the official representative of the business aviation industry in the MENA region, providing a platform for members to gather, understand and communicate the needs and benefits of the industry.