Chihuahua seeks to become the aeronautical capital of the country
CHIHUAHUA - The State of Chihuahua seeks to become the aeronautical capital of Mexico in the next three years and has set as a goal that the aircraft of U.S. manufacturers Bell and Cessna fly out of its territory completely assembled, said Marco Bonilla Mendoza, mayor-elect of Chihuahua.
Currently, it is already preparing the infrastructure and thousands of aircraft parts manufactured in the city, located in the north of the country, in Mexico's largest state, where 70% of several aircraft are assembled and then sent abroad to finish construction.
"The aerospace industry in the city of Chihuahua is the most developed in the country. Today, 100% of the parts needed to make an aircraft are made here. The airplane is already pre-assembled in Chihuahua and then transferred to Wichita, Kansas (USA), where the turbines are installed, the tests are done and that's it," said the mayor-elect in an interview with the EFE news agency.
He also added that Bell helicopters leave the capital with more than 80% of their assembly, since to complete 100% it is necessary to attract new factories, as well as special infrastructure, which he emphasized, "is already in process".
The State of Chihuahua seeks to become the aeronautical capital of Mexico in the next three years and has set as a goal that the aircraft of U.S. manufacturers Bell and Cessna fly out of its territory completely assembled, said Marco Bonilla Mendoza, mayor-elect of Chihuahua.
Currently, it is already preparing the infrastructure and thousands of aircraft parts manufactured in the city, located in the north of the country, in Mexico's largest state, where 70% of several aircraft are assembled and then sent abroad to finish construction.
"The aerospace industry in the city of Chihuahua is the most developed in the country. Today, 100% of the parts needed to make an aircraft are made here. The airplane is already pre-assembled in Chihuahua and then transferred to Wichita, Kansas (USA), where the turbines are installed, the tests are done and that's it," said the mayor-elect in an interview with the EFE news agency.
He also added that Bell helicopters leave the capital with more than 80% of their assembly, since to complete 100% it is necessary to attract new factories, as well as special infrastructure, which he emphasized, "is already in process".
"A new aerospace park is being built in Chihuahua, five minutes from the airport, and the objective is precisely to be able to develop a more specialized industry in this aeropark, and that is going to happen in the next three years," he indicated.
There are currently eight aerospace manufacturing companies in Mexico, five of which are located in Chihuahua: Textron Aviation, Bell, Honeywell, EZ AIR-Embraer, Bombardier and Kaman Aerospace, in addition to more than 45 certified suppliers, such as Safran Aerosystem and Safran Electrical & Power, among many others.
"Those are the two strategic objectives we are setting out because the vision we have as a government is not only to attract industry, but to attract high-value jobs," Bonilla explained.
The growth of the aerospace industry in the city of Chihuahua has been achieved by the collaboration of the sectors that make up the aerospace cluster, where schools generate the right talent, the government creates the necessary conditions and private initiative provides the investment.
