Mexico Aerospace Investment Halves as Exports Reach New Highs
Mexico · AEROSPACE
Key Facts
- —Investment drop Mexico aerospace investment fell 49.6% in 2025, to US$171.8 million.
- —Base year Aerospace equipment manufacturing drew US$340.7 million in foreign capital during 2024.
- —Exports Sector sales abroad neared US$11 billion in 2025, ranking Mexico fourth worldwide.
- —Footprint Roughly 386 aerospace companies operate across about 19 Mexican states.
- —Clusters Querétaro, Chihuahua, Baja California, Sonora and Nuevo León anchor the industry.
Economy Ministry data show Mexico aerospace investment sliding to US$171.8 million while export sales approach US$11 billion.
Foreign direct investment in Mexican aerospace manufacturing fell 49.6% last year, to US$171.8 million. Mexico aerospace investment dropped even as the sector’s exports approached US$11 billion.
What the Economy Ministry data actually say
The number comes from the Secretaría de Economía, Mexico’s Economy Ministry, which tracks foreign direct investment by industry. Its aerospace fact sheet covers branch 3364 of the national classification, aerospace equipment manufacturing.
That branch took in US$171.8 million during 2025, against US$340.7 million a year earlier. The drop works out at 49.6%, measured over full calendar years rather than a single quarter.
The ministry’s tally, dated 31 December 2025, puts aerospace at 0.4% of all foreign direct investment. It counted 51 companies holding foreign capital in the branch that year.
Foreign direct investment is known in Spanish as inversión extranjera directa, or IED. Cumulative aerospace flows reach roughly US$5.5 billion since 2006, led by the United States, Canada and France.
Exports are moving the other way
Export sales are the part of the picture that keeps improving. Mexican aerospace exports came to roughly US$11 billion in 2025, a record for the sector.
That volume makes Mexico the world’s fourth-largest exporter of aerospace goods. The country ranks around twelfth as a manufacturer, a gap that reflects its role as a supplier.
Growth has been steady rather than sudden, averaging about 14% a year since 2004. That pace has run ahead of the global sector average over the same period.
The Mexican Federation of the Aerospace Industry, known as FEMIA, values the domestic market near US$11.2 billion. Its president, Luiz Lizcano, said the sector closed 2025 with growth close to 10%.
Where the industry is concentrated
Five states carry most of the work: Querétaro, Chihuahua, Baja California, Sonora and Nuevo León. Roughly 386 aerospace companies operate in about 19 states altogether.
Employment estimates vary by source, with industry counts putting direct jobs above 50,000. Chihuahua alone is reported to hold close to 20,000 aerospace jobs, a figure the federation has not confirmed.
The 2025 Mexico aerospace investment map looked different from the employment map. Baja California took 29% of that year’s inflows, Chihuahua 26% and Mexico City 25%.
Coahuila drew 22%, with smaller shares in Yucatán, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas and San Luis Potosí. Negative entries elsewhere pulled the national total back down.
Established plants keep expanding
Companies already operating in the country have not paused their plans. Airbus opened an expansion of its plant in Colón, Querétaro, in June 2026.
That expansion cost 646.7 million pesos (US$38.1 million) and added 262 jobs. The site builds doors for A320, A321, A330 and A350 aircraft.
Safran enlarged its maintenance, repair and overhaul centre in Querétaro by 6,000 square metres. Such work, abbreviated as MRO, is among the higher-value activities the country wants more of.
Viva Aerobus is building a maintenance complex in Querétaro worth 4 billion pesos (US$235.8 million). In Chihuahua, ATI Materials announced US$80 million for a forging plant with over 230 jobs.
Peso amounts here use the Banco de México FIX rate of 16.9660 pesos per dollar. That rate was published for 26 August 2026.
Why new investors are hesitating
The concern is not about firms already here, but about those still choosing their next site. The consultancy Prodensa saw fewer such firms sizing up Mexico at this year’s Farnborough air show.
Marco Kuljacha, who wrote the Prodensa analysis, made that observation directly. He compared interest levels against earlier editions of the same event.
Several drags on Mexico aerospace investment are named repeatedly by industry and analysts. They include United States tariffs, labour reform and successive minimum wage increases.
Uncertainty around the T-MEC review is the other recurring factor. T-MEC is the Spanish name for the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, known in English as USMCA.
What the industry is asking for
FEMIA expects the sector to grow about 7% in 2026, down from close to 10% last year. It links the slowdown to the trade review and to tariffs on materials.
Around 80% of Mexican aeronautical component exports go to the United States. The remainder is split between Canada and several European markets.
The federation wants greater certainty in import and export procedures. It has also asked for the removal of tariffs on metal inputs, including aluminium.
Progress has been uneven so far. A third round of Mexico-United States talks under the review closed in July 2026 without agreement.
The government’s counter-argument
The Economy Ministry frames aerospace as an opportunity rather than a problem. It placed the sector among the strategic supply chains of Plan México, the government’s industrial policy.
That plan aims to lift national content by 15% towards 2030 and strengthen local suppliers. Economy Secretary Marcelo Ebrard has set a goal of reaching the world’s top ten producers.
The Programa Espacial Mexicano 2026-2030, the national space programme, projects a sector worth US$22.7 billion by 2029. That would be roughly double the industry’s current size.
Airbus, Honeywell, Safran and FEMIA joined the ministry at InnovaFest Querétaro 2026. Bombardier, ITP Aero and Aernnova also maintain operations and expansions in the country.
What investors should watch next
The gap between record output and thinner capital inflows is the signal to track. It shows demand for Mexican parts holding up while site selection decisions drift elsewhere.
Tariff outcomes on steel and aluminium will matter most to component makers. Their input costs feed directly into contracts signed with North American and European buyers.
The T-MEC review timetable is the second variable, since it shapes how buyers plan supply chains. A clearer outcome would remove one reason to postpone new Mexico aerospace investment.
Watch also whether MRO and engineering work grows faster than basic assembly. That shift would raise margins and make the country harder to replace.
None of this is settled yet. The industry ended 2025 at record scale, but its next expansion cycle depends on decisions still under negotiation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How far did Mexico aerospace investment fall in 2025?
Foreign direct investment in aerospace equipment manufacturing fell 49.6%, from US$340.7 million in 2024 to US$171.8 million. The Economy Ministry published the figures.
Are Mexican aerospace exports still growing?
Yes, they are. Exports reached roughly US$11 billion in 2025, making Mexico the world’s fourth-largest exporter of aerospace goods.
Which states host Mexico’s aerospace industry?
Querétaro, Chihuahua, Baja California, Sonora and Nuevo León anchor the sector. About 386 companies operate across roughly 19 states.
Connected Coverage
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Sources
- expansion.mx
- www.gob.mx
- www.gob.mx
- www.eleconomista.com.mx
- www.elfinanciero.com.mx
- www.mms-mexico.com
- mexicoindustry.com
- elmanana.com.mx
- www.banxico.org.mx
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