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Rabat – The Middle-East & North Africa Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) Show Morocco kicked off yesterday, September 25, at Menara Airport in Marrakech.
The two-day event provides a platform for business aviation suppliers and buyers to network and establish new relationships in North Africa, through exhibitions and conferences.
More than 2,000 attendees and 70 exhibitors are taking part this year. The Moroccan Minister of Tourism, Air Transport, Crafts, and Social Economy, Mohammed Sajid, inaugurated the event, in the presence of officials and business aviation professionals from all over the world.
The business aviation sector has seen “a clear evolution in the world in general and in the Kingdom [of Morocco] in particular,” said the minister.
The aviation sector in Morocco has developed significantly since the signing of the “Open Sky” agreements between the European Union (EU) and the United States (US), allowing airlines from the EU and the US to fly freely between the two continents.
The “Open Sky” agreement encouraged many major aviation companies “to operate in Morocco and serve our main tourist destinations,” added Sajid.
Since the agreement signing in 2007, Moroccan airports saw an increase in traffic that keeps growing every year. According to the National Office of Airports (ONDA), Moroccan airports received more than 22,5 million passengers in 2018. The number increased by 10,43% compared to 2017.
MEBAA is a non-profit association. It was established in 2006 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The organization aims to provide a platform for members of the business aviation industry in the MENA region to gather, understand, and communicate the needs and benefits of the industry.
Morocco is the only country to host a MEBAA show other than the UAE. Around 68 companies and organizations participated as exhibitors at the 2017 show.
In addition to the MEBAA show, Morocco also hosts the biennial Marrakech Air Show. Since its inception in 2008, the International Marrakech Air Show has convened leading firms in the aerospace industry.
The 2018 Marrakech Air Show took place between September 24 and 27, at the Royal Moroccan Air Force military base in Marrakech. The upcoming show will take place in 2020.
