The Mexican state of Querétaro and Airbus Helicopters have signed a cooperation agreement to expand industrial activities and new production processes for Airbus in Mexico. This agreement will allow Airbus to increase the industrial capacity of its manufacturing plant in this state.
Marco Antonio Del Prete Tercero, Secretary of Sustainable Development for the State of Querétaro, representing Mauricio Kuri González, Governor of the State of Querétaro, and Laurent Mazoué, Executive Vice President of Operations at Airbus Helicopters, signed the cooperation agreement during the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom.
The Airbus manufacturing plant in the state of Querétaro currently produces hatches and emergency exit doors, bulk cargo doors, and cargo doors for single-aisle and wide-body aircraft, respectively, as well as subassemblies and modules for helicopters that are subsequently delivered to Airbus final assembly lines and Airbus plants in Europe. The facilities, inaugurated in 2013 and located in the Aerotech Industrial Park, employ over 400 people and produce approximately 4,000 doors per year from raw material to final assembly, and about 180,000 loose parts, kinematics, and subassemblies supplied annually to Germany and 15,000 parts to France.
“I am very pleased that Airbus, a leading company in the aerospace sector, continues to trust in Querétaro. Their presence in the state has yielded great results and has driven innovation and technological development in the field, a condition that has also allowed our state, located in central Mexico, to be known worldwide. Airbus is the kind of company we need in the region, one that transforms and maintains a commitment to cooperation for the benefit of the people of Querétaro: generating jobs, producing cutting-edge technology, and fostering competitiveness. I want to reiterate my gratitude for their trust and to tell them that they have my support to continue working together for the benefit of the company and Querétaro,” said Marco Antonio Del Prete Tercero, Secretary of Sustainable Development for the State of Querétaro.
“Today marks an important milestone for both the State of Querétaro and Airbus Helicopters, with the expansion of our industrial plant, as part of the transformation of our global supply chain, but also to meet the increase in Airbus single-aisle commercial aircraft,” said Laurent Mazoué, Executive Vice President of Operations at Airbus Helicopters. “This expansion is further proof of Airbus Helicopters’ commitment to continue investing in the aerospace industry in Mexico. Querétaro is one of the pillars of our industrial strategy due to its competitiveness, the skills of its teams, and its ability to satisfy our customers.”
This industrial expansion and new processes will contribute to the increase in production of Airbus single-aisle commercial aircraft and will raise the workforce to about 800 employees by the end of the decade. The door products will be manufactured thanks to a considerable investment, using state-of-the-art machines and high technology, including a new riveting center for drilling and riveting the outer skins to the door structures and a high-precision drilling machine for installing the door hinge to the fuselage.
Airbus has been present in Mexico for more than 40 years and has a long-term commitment to the development of the aeronautical and aerospace industry in the country, with a workforce of more than 650 direct employees in its three divisions and generating more than 15,000 indirect jobs, as well as more than $200 million in annual purchases from the supply chain. For more information, visit the official Airbus website.
