In addition to tourism and automotive investment, the aeronautical sector is one of Querétaro’s most important industries.
The fourth most important aeronautical industrial city in the world, Queretaro is just below Singapore, Dubai and Bangalore, according to information released by the State authorities.
“The aeronautical sector bases its decisions on the people there arehuman resources available to develop their productive activities. Queretaro has an educational institution totally focused on this sector, which generates competitiveness and gives credibility to the state and the country,” said Jorge Gutiérrez, rector of the University of Aeronautics in Querétaro (UNAQ).
Similarly, the state has an international airport, major industrial parks with international certifications hosting global companies, air cargo services, the Queretaro’s University of Aeronautics and a research center.
“This cluster is known as the first in the aeronautical sector of Mexico, with an integrated services concept, highly trained human resource and state-of.the-art facilities that make the state the most competitive in this field nationwide ” said the rector.
Queretaro hosts 80 aerospace industry organizations, 26 manufacturing companies, five special process companies and seven education industries related to the sector, according to government information.
Some of the international firms that have presence in Queretaro are:
- French company Airbus, which manufactures aircraft,
- Canadian firm Bombardier Aerospace Mexico, which designs and manufactures aviation products
- Spanish company Aernnova, which develops aerostructures, such as wings, stabilizers and fuselages for commercial aircrafts.
- Safran, an aeronautical company of French origin which produces blades and motors for helicopters and airplanes
On February 21 Safran inaugurated its sixth plant in the state, with an investment of 100 million USD, for the production of blades and engines for Boeing aircraft.
This new generated 230 high level jobs in the state, a number that will increase to 600 by 2020 or 2021, stated Philippe Petitcolin, CEO of Safran. “All production in the new plant is for Boeing. We will probably be opening more plants in Querétaro, this situtation will depend on the demand we have,” he added.
On the other hand, an investment of about 180 million pesos (10 million USD) is expected for the expansion of the Querétaro airport during 2018.
The expansion works include a bigger terminal building, a platform to connect the telescopic corridors directly to the planes to give a better service, boarding space expansion, and more than 200 additional parking spaces”,declared Jesús Arredondo Velázquez, director of the Intercontinental Airport of Querétaro.
Source: forbes.com.mx