•EXPECTATIONS: The Mexican aerospace industry expects it will take years before production returns to pre-pandemic levels given the cancellation of manufacturing orders stemming from the massive decline in air travel around the world.
•CLUSTERS: Executives in Mexico’s Bajío region aerospace cluster (BJXAerospace) foresee a return to 80% of 2019 output levels in 2022. However, some analysts see some opportunities with the enactment of the new USMCA trade deal and nearshoring from Asian countries.
•SHARING: “We’re working as clusters to share information that helps us to be more competitive to face new challenges…that will lead to reducing delivery times, reducing manufacturing costs through alliances between suppliers”, said Alejandro Arredondo, executive director of BJXAerospace.
•NUMBERS: According to Mexico’s statistics agency (INEGI), aerospace equipment manufacturing in Mexico totaled US $705 million in 2019. Private sector analysts consider this figure as just a fraction of the country’s actual aerospace output much of which is exported to the US.
