Aerospace: Why Tunisia Is Attracting More and More High-Value-Added Foreign Manufacturers

Tunisia is strengthening its position in the international aerospace industry. Following the expansion of Mecachrome and the announced arrival of Turkish AKSA Composites, the American Pursuit Aerospace is expanding its industrial site by 40%. These investments reflect a shift toward more technically complex activities. But beyond jobs and exports, a central question emerges: what share of the industrial value produced actually remains in Tunisia?

Pursuit Aerospace: 40% more floor space and over 1,000 employees targeted

The American group Pursuit Aerospace announced, on October 6, 2026, a new expansion program for its Tunisian activities, relayed on October 7 by the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA).

Work began on September 3 at the El Mghira site, in the Ben Arous Governorate, with the construction of a third building.

The expansion is set to increase the floor area of the installations by 40%, which will exceed 13,000 m² upon completion, planned for the second half of 2027.

The group also plans to bring the site’s total workforce to more than 1,000 employees, from several hundred currently.

But the industrial interest of the project goes beyond the construction of an additional building.

Pursuit Aerospace manufactures in Tunisia precision metal components for aircraft engines, notably from nickel and cobalt alloys. These materials are used for parts exposed to high temperatures and significant mechanical stresses.

The company uses the lost-wax casting foundry, a process that enables the production of complex metal components meeting the aerospace sector’s precision requirements.

The new building will increase the capacities of the furnaces and the mold manufacturing lines. It will also reinforce post-casting machining operations and certain specialized treatments carried out directly on the Tunisian site.

It is precisely this evolution that deserves attention: Tunisia is hosting not only additional production capacities but also more advanced industrial steps.

A sector that represents around 20,000 jobs

According to the Tunisian Grouping of Aeronautical and Space Industries (GITAS), the sector represented, as of September 2025, approximately 20,000 jobs and nearly 80 companies, including 45 members of the professional organization.

Sectoral communications published in 2026 talk of more than 85 companies and exports exceeding €650 million. However, the perimeters and reference periods must be distinguished.

This industrial progression raises a major question: will Tunisia be able to transform these international deployments into greater value-added, technological capabilities, and local suppliers?

International equipment manufacturers already well established