As the curtain goes up on the third edition of Mexico’s Aerospace Fair, the numbers tell a story, of an event going from strength to strength.
FAMEX 2019 has more than 600 exhibitors, up from under 550 in 2017. The number of countries that are taking part in the air show has gone up too – 40, compared to 35 in the last edition. The number of aircraft on display has increased consider- ably as well, from 48 in 2017 to 60 this year.
Not surprisingly, the organizers expect a sizable increase in attendance, both in terms of industry professionals and the general public. There is more to the story though than the spike in numbers that have seen the event, which is taking place at the Military Air Base of Santa Lucía, grow into the second most important event in the sector in Latin America, behind Chile’s International Air and Space (Fidae). The success of the event has to be seen in the context of the progress Mexico’s aero- space industry has made over the last decade and a half.
Mexico’s aerospace industry, which wasn’t even on the global charts in 2004, as FEMIA Managing Director Luis Lizcano says, is currently ranks 14th worldwide and moving up. According to Brigadier General Rodolfo Rodríguez Quezada, Famex president, the event has acted as a catalyst for the sector and will help the country to reach its stated goal of being among the top ten nations in aerospace by the end of 2020. The aerospace fair acts as showcase for what Mexico’s aerospace industry has to offer, and also provides an ideal platform for companies to try an expand their global footprint.
The country currently has about 330 companies in the sector, including the presence of many international giants such as Bombardier, Textron, Airbus, Safran and Honey, and generates 55,000 jobs. Experts predict that the number of companies would swell to at least 420 by 2025, with the industry expected to generate more than 80,000 jobs. Their predictions are based on the fact that a sizable number of investment projects in the aerospace industry are Mexico-bound
Event highlights: The growth of the event is reflected in its variety. An aerospace summit, a foreign investment seminar, a program to highlight women leaders in the aerospace sector and another for companies in the automotive sector that are interested in migrating to the aerospace sector are all part of the four-day event.
The Foreign Investment Seminar, which is being organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Economy (SE) and the Mexican Federation of the Aerospace Industry (Femia), is intended to woo prospective investors from other countries. The event will highlight the growth potential of the Mexican aerospace industry and the various opportunities available for investment, the status of international agreements, as well as incentives and support provided by the federal and state governments.
Experts in aeronautics from Mexico and France will talk about new technologies and innovation in the sector as they take part in a seminar on “Procurement, Innovation and Training of the Aerospace Industry of Mexico and France.” The seminar for companies that migrate to the aerospace industry will highlight the various opportunities that are available for companies in the automotive and other lateral industrial sectors that are interested in identifying business opportunities in the aerospace sector. These companies will also be aided in expediting the migration progress. The “Aerospace Education Forum,” which will be organized in collaboration with Femia and the Mexican Council for Aerospace Education (COMEA), is intended to strengthen the national academic sector in the aerospace field. Representatives from national and international educational institutions in the aeronautical field will speak.
The Aerospace Summit will focus on the steps that are needed to make aeronautics the economic engine of growth in Mexico, as well as the challenges that have to be overcome to make it possible. Federal and state government officials, as well as managers of the aeronautics industry will attend. Various technical conferences for professionals in the aeronautical and space sector, a “Summit of Rectors” to strengthen collaboration between academic institutions, the industry and government entities in the aerospace industry, and a meeting of air safety organized by the Association of Pilots Aviators of Mexico will also take place before the event closes on Saturday.
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