Mar Vaquero: “Aragón looks to the sky with the certainty of knowing that it has become a source of wealth and opportunities”

The vice president of the Government of Aragon has inaugurated the conference "Aeronautics, a growing sector", organized by the Spanish Association of Defense, Security, Aeronautics and Space Technology Companies (TEDAE), in collaboration with AERA, the Aragonese cluster of the sector,

The second vice president and counselor of Economy, Employment and Industry of the Government of Aragon, Mar Vaquero, highlighted this Tuesday the importance of the aeronautical sector in the community's economy. "Aragon looks to the sky with the certainty of knowing that it has become a source of wealth and opportunities," she stressed.

He did so at the inauguration of the Annual Conference of the Spanish Aeronautical Supply Chain, called "Aeronautics, a growing sector", organized by the association of Defense, Security, Aeronautics and Space Technology Companies, in collaboration with AERA (Cluster of Aeronautics, Aerospace and Defense of Aragon). The event, which took place at the Technological Institute of Aragon (ITA), was attended by the president of Airbus Commercial and vice president of Aeronautics of TEDAE, Ricardo Rojas; and Inés Villa, director of AERA.

During her opening speech, the vice president of the autonomous Executive has stressed the vocation that the Aragonese community has to look at the sky, giving as an example the exponential growth of the aerospace sector to multiply its turnover, the work of the Teruel Airport and its relevance in the design and launch of the first Spanish rocket to travel to space, the logistical significance of Aragon with a Zaragoza Airport that ranks as the third most important in the country in freight traffic and the observation of the sky as a means of tourism, employment and wealth .

"Our sky has always been there, what has changed is the intention to take advantage of it as a source and generator of opportunities," he stressed, highlighting at the same time that Aragón "has known how to find a way to take advantage of all our potential at ground level and also in the heights."

For his part, the president of TEDAE, Ricardo Martí-Fluxa, has assured that "in order to continue promoting a sector as strategic and growing as the aeronautics sector, the union of all the companies in the industry will be key, as well as the commitment to continue working to enhance the resilience, competitiveness and flexibility of our supply chain to face some challenges such as inflation, digitalization or talent acquisition."

Four presentations took place on the day: "Perspectives of the Aeronautical sector", "Development of the Supply Chain", "Research and Innovation for a digitalized and climate-neutral aeronautical industry. The role of the Technology Centers (Technological Institute of Aragon) " and the presentation of the results of the "Survey on the use of Aerofondo in companies in the aeronautical sector." In addition, the round table "Growth of the Aeronautical Supply Chain: Strategies, Challenges and Opportunities" has also helped to analyze the reality of the sector.

The director of the Technological Institute of Aragon, Esther Borao, closed the day and highlighted the challenges identified in digitalization and sustainability, linked to research and innovation. She has also pointed out that "from the ITA, as a public technology center, we support the work of generating and transferring knowledge and the activity of companies in the aeronautics sector at a national and international level."

For his part, Alejandro Ibrahim wanted to highlight that "in Aragon we are pioneers in the development of R&D&i projects with direct impact on the aeronautical, aerospace and defense sector. "Dialogue between all chain actors is crucial."

About TEDAE

TEDAE is the Spanish Association of Defense, Security, Aeronautics and Space Technology Companies, with more than 90 members throughout Spain. This Spanish Aeronautical Supply Chain Conference is organized by the TEDAE Aeronautical Commission. In Spain, there are only three Innovative Business Groups (AEIs - CLUSTER) recognized by the Ministry in the aeronautical sector: AERA (Aragon), HEGAN (Basque Country), HELICE (Andalusia). TEDAE recognizes the importance of clusters by organizing its annual supply chain day at AERA, which is held at the ITA facilities.

About AERA

AERA is one of the only three aeronautical AEIs recognized by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, at the national level, it has more than 35 partners and it is also the first cluster that was created in our territory, more than 16 years ago. The opportunities for growth in the aeronautical and defense sector are undoubted and Aragón has a rich productive and industrial fabric in this area, both of companies that provide services in the field of RPAs and in the manufacturing industry and in airport and dedicated facilities. to the recycling and maintenance of aircraft (with the Teruel Airport at the forefront).

The mission of the AERA cluster is to energize the aeronautical sector in Aragon, to facilitate its competitiveness in the short, medium and long term through cooperation and innovation between companies and other agents, providing collaborative responses to its strategic challenges.

The AERA cluster's objectives are: Participate in the international aeronautical market with a global offer. To be an engine of development and wealth in Aragon, attracting investment both nationally and abroad. Bring together and coordinate the existing capabilities throughout the value chain of the aeronautical sector in Aragon, with the aim of enhancing and energizing each part of this chain.

The strength of AERA's Research and Innovation (R&I) activity is demonstrated by the recent incorporation of two new partners: Uned, through its drone chair in Teruel; and the Foundation for Research, Development and Application of Composite Materials (FIDAMC, in Madrid).

About the ITA

The Technological Institute of Aragon ITA, founded 40 years ago, has been part of AERA almost since its foundation and in recent years has become one of its reference partners in the field of Research and Innovation. The rest of AERA's partners in this field of research services are AITIIP and the University of Zaragoza.

Mar Vaquero emphasizes that Aragón looks to the sky as a source of wealth and opportunities Second Vice President and Minister of Economy, Employment and Industry.