Fight for Slots Intensifies

Viva Aerobús was the main winner following the pandemic, increasing its presence by 61 percent over the previous winter season. Interjet is the airline that is undoubtedly the most affected and has lost 10 percent of its slots. The airline has reported that since Nov. 1, due to a reduction in the number of slots at Mexico City International Airport (AICM), it has stopped operating routes to Aguascalientes, Campeche, La Paz, Minatitlan and Reynosa.

Now let’s jump into the Week in Aerospace!

Aviation Crisis “Devastating, Unrelenting”: IATA

On Tuesday, the association updated its forecast again putting the revenue drop at US$510 billion. Worse, even though airlines across the board have been implementing stringent cost-cutting measures, bringing them down from 2019’s US$795 billion to US$430 billion. However, this will not be enough to avoid ending the year in red. IATA forecasts that during 2020 the aviation industry will see a net loss of US$118.5 billion. “The history books will record 2020 as the industry’s worst financial year, bar none. Airlines cut expenses by an average of US$1 billion a day over 2020 and will still rack-up unprecedented losses,” said Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO of IATA. The trouble faced by the global aviation industry is expected to continue until 2021. IATA also adjusted its forecast for 2021 to reflect the slower recovery the sector faces, estimating that next year airlines will see a net loss of US$38.7 billion.
 

Guanajuato’s Aerospace Industry Moving Forward?

The state’s aerospace venture has been going on for several years. It has become clear to investors that this is an attractive spot due to its economically active population. Still, among the priorities to foster industrial growth is boosting new providers in the region. This means creating alliances to help strengthen the different companies trying to enter the industry, stated Óscar Rodríguez Yáñez, CEO of Optimen, in an article from El Economista. “There is an interesting local supplier base (in Guanajuato). We must now start to direct it (toward the aerospace industry),” said Yáñez. An element that will be essential in directing automotive suppliers toward the aerospace industry is training, which usually takes around three years. According to the Ministry of Economy, between 1999 and 1Q20, Guanajuato has not received FDI directly related to the aerospace industry. However, between 2014 and 2019, the national industry reported an average annual growth of 18 percent.

Bombardier Celebrates 15 Years in Mexico

Bombardier Aviation came to Mexico in 2005 with a plant in Queretaro, which started operations in 2006. From then, the company took off at a fast pace. Now, Bombardier has built six buildings across three sites in the state, which now employ 1,600 individuals, explained Mark Masluch, Director of Public Affairs & Communication at Bombardier Aviation. He highlighted that while the company started only manufacturing harnesses at its Mexican facilities, its capabilities have significantly grown. Now, Bombardier manufactures numerous parts from fuselages to main electric assemblies in Queretaro. “We now manufacture complex aerostructures for the Global Aircraft. Our capabilities in Mexico have grown from components to complete aerostructures,” said Masluch.