During a ceremony attended by Mr Driss Benhima, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Air Maroc (RAM) Group, and Mr Franck Terner, President, Air France Industries, the two partners officially announced a new phase in the development of their Aerotechnic Industries (ATI) joint venture. Set up in 2009, the 50/50 joint venture between the two groups is now extending the scope of its activities to the overhauling of Boeing 737 Next Generation (NG) airframes. 
Head-quartered at Casablanca's Mohammed V airport, ATI now offers its clients overhaul capabilities from A to D checks on aircraft in the Airbus A320 family and Boeing737NGs in its three dedicated maintenance bays staffed by a 170-strong specialist workforce. Its outstanding location makes ATI a privileged partner for A320 and B.737NG fleets operating in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Because it operates near the main bases of a large number of airlines, ATI provides the opportunity to optimize their maintenance costs at the same time as they benefit from the best market standards, including EASA Part 145, and the Direction Générale de l'Aviation Civile (Moroccan civil aviation authority) certification.
On signing the new agreements, Mr Driss Benhima said that he was delighted “to see our joint venture shifting into a higher gear through the extension of ATI’s scope of operations, opening up promising prospects for the growth of the company’s business.”
During the ceremony, the partners also announced RAM’s decision to entrust AFI KLM E&M with component support for its 30-plus fleet of Boeing 737NGs. Through this contract, Royal Air Maroc will benefit from the acknowledged expertise and high performance of AFI KLM E&M, which currently supports over 400 aircraft of this type worldwide.
Mr Franck Terner added:
On signing the new agreements, Mr Driss Benhima said that he was delighted “to see our joint venture shifting into a higher gear through the extension of ATI’s scope of operations, opening up promising prospects for the growth of the company’s business.”
During the ceremony, the partners also announced RAM’s decision to entrust AFI KLM E&M with component support for its 30-plus fleet of Boeing 737NGs. Through this contract, Royal Air Maroc will benefit from the acknowledged expertise and high performance of AFI KLM E&M, which currently supports over 400 aircraft of this type worldwide.
Mr Franck Terner added:
“We are highly honored by this new mark of trust on the part of Royal Air Maroc, and very enthusiastic about the way our joint venture is developing. Combined with the capabilities of our UK-based subsidiary KLM UK Engineering, ATI’s infrastructure means that AFI KLM E&M can offer its clients a comprehensive offering at local level for medium-haul fleet maintenance, strategically located for maximum responsiveness and competitiveness, with the guarantee of the highest levels of service quality.”
Ideally situated for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, ATI operates appropriate infrastructure for the maintenance of A320 and Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft. The company employs a workforce of 174 and completed 250 workscopes in 2012, compared with 92 in 2011.
Among its clients, in addition to Air France and RAM, are airlines from all over the world, including Air Arabia Morocco, MCAP (Mitsubishi Corporation Aviation Partner – Dublin), Senegal Airlines, Vladivostok Air (Russia) and Libyan Airlines.
