Aerospace industry in Latin America

In June 2021, when he retired as president of Fiat Auto Argentina, businessman Cristiano Rattazzi announced: "I'm going to dedicate the next few years of my life to helicopters."

Rattazzi is convinced that helicopter navigation is a business that is still very underdeveloped in Argentina, especially in an urban area as large as Buenos Aires. In 2022, Rattazzi promoted the opening of the Helipuerto Autódromo (see note) and has now inaugurated a helicopter flight simulator in the town of Don Torcuato.

The investment was made by his company Modena Air Service, which is part of the Modena Group. It is a "Mixed Reality" 6XSIM simulator, which was developed together with the Delta 3 firm. It is the first of its kind in Argentina and the second in the world, which allows it to be operated by pilot and co-pilot crews, with the possibility of interacting with other crews in other simulators remotely.

Rattazzi's company defined the "Mixed Reality" system in this way: "The pilot has an absolute experience of realism, since the System, through sensors, knows the position of his body, his eyes and the external cameras in the visor obtain the images of the cabin with a movement reaction time in tenths of a second."
1728004826833.png
In this first phase, the 6XSIM is configured for training in Agusta AW109 helicopters, but it was announced that other aircraft models will soon be adapted. This simulator has the benefit of streamlining the process of obtaining initial and recurring qualifications to validate in RAAC 135, "generating cost savings and avoiding the transfer of foreign currency abroad."


 
It was last June when the company Safran Aerosystems announced the investment of 6 million euros to build its new Plant 6 in the Supra Industrial Park, in Chihuahua.

This plant, which will be dedicated to the production of evacuation systems and components for aeronautical seats, is expected to create 300 new jobs.

As a follow-up to this investment and progress of the work, Sébastien Weber and Jorge Acosta, president and general director of Safran Aerosystems, met with Maru Campos, governor of Chihuahua. At this meeting it was confirmed that the new headquarters is scheduled to begin operations in 2025, thus adding 12 plants in said entity.
1728005297326.png
Sustainable plant

This new complex will have cutting-edge technology, complying with the highest standards of quality and sustainability. Among its innovations, the installation of 1,190 solar panels stands out, which will reduce 585.5 tons of CO2 per year.

The French company currently employs 8,000 employees locally, representing more than half of the Safran Group's employees in the country.

 
The E-Freighter E190F, an Embraer passenger jet converted to a freighter, has been certified by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The aircraft and the Cargo Loading System, developed by U.S. Cargo Systems, received FAA certification in September 2024. In July, the E-Freighter was certified by the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC), and certification by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is expected by the end of the year. The jet was developed to fill a gap in the air cargo market, becoming an alternative to replace older and less efficient aircraft.

The E190F program was launched in May 2022 and is designed to meet the dynamic operations and demands of e-commerce, which require more agile and decentralized deliveries. The E-Freighter made its maiden flight in April and its first public display took place in July at the Farnborough Airshow.
1728703051897.png
“FAA certification is an important milestone in our freighter conversion program and we are excited about entering this market. We will work to meet the global need for faster deliveries, both in metropolitan areas and beyond. With the international presence of E-Jets in the United States and other countries, we will offer optimized solutions to our customers in a connected world,” said Martyn Holmes, Chief Commercial Officer, Embraer Commercial Aviation.

 
With the aim of developing research projects, generating specialized jobs and contributing to the goal of net zero carbon emissions for the aerospace industry by 2050, the Aerospace Component Testing Laboratory was inaugurated at the Aeronautical University in Querétaro (UNAQ).

This laboratory has the purpose of promoting research in clean technologies, generating specialized employment and contributing to the reduction of carbon emissions in the aerospace industry, aligning with the global commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Mauricio Kuri González, governor of Querétaro, indicated that this project has a global scope and that the objective of the laboratory's study is the components of various GE Aerospace engines; while the research focus will be the effects of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF), compared to conventional hydrocarbon fuels.
1729395967797.png
For his part, Andrés Soler Pérez Salazar, general director of GE Aerospace México, said that through this collaborative work, Querétaro is doing its part by maintaining its development, but without generating undesirable impacts, since the solutions are based on sustainability.

In turn, the rector of UNAQ, Enrique Gerardo Sosa Gutiérrez, highlighted that the laboratory is a milestone for the institution and for the state, since it is one of the few where GE will carry out tests that will contribute to the future of aeronautics in a more sustainable way.


We had a chat with the General Manager of GE Aerosoace in Mexico, during FAMEX 2023, where he told us that all the engineering for the CF-34-10A Turbofan is done at that center

The General Electric Infrastructure Querétaro (GEIQ) employs a total of 1,500 engineers. This site is the largest aeronautical engineering center outside the US and the main advanced engineering center in the Latin American region, reported Fernando Alcántara, product quality engineer at the aforementioned Querétaro site.
1729395897373.png
From this center, General Electric provides solutions for internal use, but also external use, aimed at the general industry. For the Aviation sector, for example, it offers support for airplanes, for all commercial engines and some military ones. In addition, it has groups of engineers dedicated to the design of internal components of various aerostructures

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xVTpWAYigc
 
Last edited:
This Friday, October 11, through its official social media, Index Chihuahua reported that Metal Finishing Company, Chihuahua plant, received the Bombardier 2023 Diamond Certification in the Production category. This recognition was awarded during a ceremony held on September 16 in Montreal, Canada, where Bombardier recognized suppliers that demonstrated exceptional operational performance throughout the year.

The certification, one of the most important for Bombardier suppliers, was awarded in three categories: Production, Indirect Goods and Services, and After Sales. Metal Finishing Company, which is dedicated to surface treatment and finishing for the aerospace industry, was recognized for its constant innovation and high operational standards.

Shauna Gamble, Director of Procurement at Bombardier, stressed the importance of rewarding suppliers with sustained performance, stating that these distinctions foster excellence and collaboration between supplier companies and Bombardier. "Rewarding suppliers for sustained operational performance and innovation not only recognizes their valuable contributions to our business, but also fosters a culture of excellence and collaboration that drives mutual success," said Gamble.

The 2023 Diamond Certification award ceremony took place on September 16 in Montreal, Canada.
The Diamond Certification award reflects the efforts that suppliers have made to maintain quality and efficiency in their operations, a key aspect in the aerospace industry supply chain. Bombardier highlighted that the award-winning companies have overcome the challenges of a highly competitive and constantly evolving sector.

This achievement reaffirms Metal Finishing Company's position within the industry as a reliable supplier committed to quality, as shared by Index Chihuahua in its statement.
 
LEON, GTO - Mexico has become the twelfth largest exporter in the aerospace sector worldwide, and in less than 10 years it has gone from tenth place to sixth place as an exporter to the United States, which means that it is growing very fast, said Óscar Rodríguez Yáñez, president of the Bajío Aerospace Cluster.

According to his inaugural speech at the BJX Summit Aerospace 4.0 2024, the businessman said that in the next 20 years, what is coming in this sector is the doubling of the number of aircraft in the world, according to estimates by large companies.

Mexico has become the twelfth largest exporter in the aerospace sector worldwide, and in less than 10 years it has gone from tenth place to sixth place as an exporter to the United States, which means that it is growing very fast, said Óscar Rodríguez Yáñez, president of the Bajío Aerospace Cluster.

According to his inaugural speech at the BJX Summit Aerospace 4.0 2024, the businessman said that in the next 20 years, what is coming in this sector is the doubling of the number of aircraft in the world, according to estimates by large companies.

This, he explained, will represent 44 thousand new aircraft that will come out in the next two decades and this will pull the production chain; passengers will be growing by 5% and more than two million jobs will be needed in this sector.

This means that 600,000 pilots, 850,000 flight attendants and more than 600,000 engineers and technicians will be needed, he said.

Rodríguez Yáñez recalled that in the year 2021 alone, from the United States to Mexico and vice versa, more than 100 million passengers will move and he highlighted that this figure will increase to 440 million passengers by 2040.

This means, he added, that there will be a great detonator for the industry, as well as for its productive chains. In the area of services alone, the value of the global market over the next 20 years will be in the order of US$9.5 billion.

He added that aerospace manufacturing does not represent more than 1.4% of Mexico's GDP, which marks a great opportunity and becomes a gap that can be used.
 
y Gabriel Araujo

SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Electric aircraft maker Eve has obtained a $50 million loan from Citibank, strengthening its balance sheet and supporting the development of its "flying car," the company said on Wednesday.

Eve, controlled by Brazilian planemaker Embraer, is one of a bevy of startups worldwide developing battery-powered aircraft that can take off and land vertically to ferry travelers on short city trips, allowing them to beat traffic.


The firm expects its electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft to obtain certification and enter service in 2026, and has amassed nearly 3,000 potential orders ahead of production with potential revenue of $14.5 billion.

"Eve continues to attract new investors, a sign of the continued confidence in our strategic plan and strong customer interest in our eVTOL aircraft," Chief Financial Officer Eduardo Couto said in a statement.

The Citi loan comes on top of a credit line of $88 million that Eve secured from Brazil's state development bank BNDES earlier this month to fund the development of its first production facility in Sao Paulo state.

Following a raising of $95.6 million in new equity in July from a group of investors including Embraer and Japan's Nidec, the fresh loan pushes Eve's pro-forma liquidity to about $480 million, the company said.

The key metric stood at around $340 million at the end of the second quarter.

"The bank loan, along with existing cash and credit lines, ensures that Eve remains well capitalized with a comfortable balance sheet and one of the highest cash runways in the advanced air mobility industry," Couto said.
1730286761410.png
Eve debuted on the New York Stock Exchange in May 2022, raising around $400 million to develop and produce its eVTOL aircraft.

(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo; Editing by Sonali Paul)

 

Latest Replies

Featured Content

Trending Threads

Donate via Bitcoin - bc1qpc3h2l430vlfflc8w02t7qlkvltagt2y4k9dc2

qrcode
Back
Top