RJA Academy puts Morocco back on the training MAPA

Since the Moroccan national school for pilots closed at the end of 2014 and, following Royal Air Maroc’s decision to outsource crew training at the expense of the RAM Academy, Morocco and North Africa have been facing a lack of aeronautical training in the region.
Now the Royal Jordanian Air Academy (RJA) has decided to seize the opportunity to establish itself in Morocco in line with its development strategy.
The country will, thus, be a springboard to reach the African francophone market.
“After 52 years of existence, RJA wanted to spread to North Africa,” explained Captain Mohammad Khawaldeh, who is now the founder and CEO the Morocco Aviation Private Academy – a ‘sister’ company to RJA.
MAPA deputy director, Captain Driss Rhazi, added: “It is the ideal period to launch our academy. We want to make the MAPA a centre of excellence to meet the demand of Moroccan and African youth.
“It benefits from the expertise, the human and material means of Jordan to deliver ATO/EASA and EASA PART 147 certified training in Africa.”
The Moroccan academy aims to be a regional leader in the training of pilots and mechanical engineers by attracting trainees from all over Africa.
It was established in the summer of 2016 at Benslimane International Airport (between Casablanca and Rabat). According to Rhazi, it is an ideal location as the airport has a low traffic density and an airspace with unconstrained flights.
MAPA has a fleet of eight Diamond aircraft and two workshops for training technicians: one for type P1 (engines and airframes) and another for on-board instrumentation and avionics. It also has seven training classes, including three computer-based training (CBT) facilities with a capacity of 24 trainees per class.
The MAPA has obtained the required approvals from the Moroccan authorities and the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) to train pilots and issue pilot licenses. The academy is now in the process of EASA Part 147 certification.
“We hope that by the end of 2017 we will have our first class. We will open two classes for pilot and engineer courses in the coming months,” said Khawaldeh.
In addition to initial or integrated training courses, the MAPA offers modular training private pilot licence (PPL) or multi-engine pilot sessions.
Its promoters have studied the market and are confident about the needs of the aviation sector for pilots and mechanical engineers. The academy relies on the experience and support of the RJA to make itself known in the region.
“We are going to deploy our trainings all over the African continent,” said Rhazi. “We intend establishing partnerships with airlines, in particular African ones, to enable our trainees to pilot their aircraft.”
The MAPA hopes to be a centre of excellence in aeronautical training at the national and regional level, especially in Africa in the coming years, and to be responsive to the needs of African youth.