Brazilian planemaker Embraer has signed a preliminary deal with Morocco to invest in the nation's civilian and defence aerospace sector, including setting up a maintenance and repair plant, Morocco's industry ministry said late on Wednesday. The new maintenance, repair and overhaul facility (MRO) is likely to boost Embraer's chances of winning a slice of a plane purchase tender launched recently by Moroccan airline RAM, a Moroccan industry source said, requesting anonymity. RAM plans to quadruple its fleet to 200 within the next 14 years to strengthen its position as a carrier linking Africa to Europe and the Americas, RAM CEO Abdelhamid Addou said at the opening of the Marrakech Air Show, where the Embraer deal was sealed.
