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 News Around the Republic of Mexico | April 2008 
City Hopes to Become Capital of Growing Aircraft Industry
 Chris Hawley - The Arizona Republic
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| | An aqueduct in the Mexican city of Querétaro was built in the 1720s and 1730s to bring in water from nearby springs. (W.H. Hodge) | | |
Querétaro, Mexico - It was here in Querétaro, a city of cobblestone streets and buildings of orange stone, where independence activists plotted Mexico's 1810 revolution against Spain.
Now, the Mexican government is hoping to ignite another revolution in Querétaro, pronounced ke-REH-tah-ro, turning the city of 734,000 into a center for the country's burgeoning aerospace industry.
Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier, overhaul companies SNECMA and Messier Services, airframe contractor Aernnova of Spain, and a dozen smaller suppliers have all settled in the colonial city in the past two years after intense promotion by the Querétaro state and federal governments.
"We want this to be another 'aeropolis,' like Seattle or Wichita," said Jorge Gutiérrez, rector of the new National Aerospace University of Querétaro, referring to U.S. cities known for their airplane manufacturing.
General Electric has a large engineering center for jet engines in Querétaro, 130 miles northwest of Mexico City. Spain's ITR turns out parts and overhauled engines here.
The city opened an international airport in 2005 and has been courting aerospace suppliers with promises of cheap land beside the runway.
To train workers, the Mexican government has founded the National Aerospace University and plans to break ground on a campus beside the airport in August.
"We are confident that in the next decade this aeronautical sector will be a major pillar for development in our region," state Economic Development Secretary Marcelo López told a group of aviation industry supporters last week. |
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