Mexico’s aerospace manufacturing industry has been built in part on the success of Bombardier in Mexico. A strategic pillar of the Mexican aerospace supply chain and with a bold, long-term investment trajectory, Bombardier in Mexico has redefined the aerospace landscape in Mexico since its arrival and subsequent growth in the region. In 2006, Bombardier selected Querétaro as the site for the initial facility. This decision would not only have a significant impact on the company itself but also on the wider regional aerospace industry.
Bombardier in Mexico has continued to scale its operations, investing US $500 million in Querétaro to date and employing over 2,200 people directly, and emerging as a key economic actor in the region, bringing with it an advanced, technology-driven manufacturing platform.
Bombardier in Mexico and Aerospace Manufacturing in Querétaro
Querétaro has risen in recent decades to become one of Mexico’s leading aerospace hubs, and Bombardier has played a critical part in that story. Today, about 80 aerospace companies call Querétaro home, and the region is home to a mix of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), tier-1 and tier-2 suppliers, research institutions, and special-service providers. In fact, when Bombardier first set up operations there in 2006, it effectively launched the so-called Querétaro Aerospace Cluster. The strength of the cluster has had much to do with the kind of public-private partnerships that create demand-pull for sector development and sustain competitiveness over time. There are training/research universities specialized in aerospace; there is government support at the state level; and there is a trend of global companies setting up shop with advanced aerospace-manufacturing capabilities.
Bombardier in Mexico has been at the center of this. The Querétaro aerospace cluster is integrated with the supplier base, academic centers and other research institutions, and government actors. For example, the Universidad Aeronáutica en Querétaro (UNAQ), a local higher-education institution that opened its doors in 2007, was created with the support of the government of Querétaro and private-sector partners, and one of its initial objectives was to provide the necessary talent to local industry players such as Bombardier.
Supplier Development, Resilience, and the Supply Chain
Bombardier’s strategy in Mexico goes beyond manufacturing and capacity building to supplier development, innovation, and building resilience in aerospace supply chains. That was reflected in a recent event, the Bombardier Supplier Symposium (October 21-23), which the company organized in Querétaro in late October 2025. The symposium brought together Bombardier in Mexico, strategic suppliers, local government, academia, and the larger supply-chain ecosystem to advance innovation, resilience, and the pursuit of excellence in Mexico’s aerospace sector.
Participants discussed: How the aerospace industry could be strengthened through strategic partnerships in the supply chain, supplier development, new entrants to the tier-1/2 supplier base, and new sources of funding and financing for aerospace companies in Mexico. On the second day, Bombardier in Mexico met with local suppliers, creating an opportunity for a large number of new suppliers interested in working with the aerospace company. On the third day, Bombardier employees and suppliers volunteered as a group in a local community, Casa María Goretti (supported by Fundación La Merced), to demonstrate the company’s social responsibility commitment.
Bombardier in Mexico’s strategy also involves a comprehensive view of advanced manufacturing, including composites, electrical harnesses, aerostructures, sheet-metal machining, and more. The Querétaro facility is a center of excellence for large structural components and composite manufacturing, according to Bombardier in Mexico.
Announcing the Expansion, Anchoring Further Investment
Bombardier in Mexico recently reaffirmed its commitment to its aerospace-manufacturing site and supply chain ecosystem in Mexico with a new investment of US$18 million and the addition of 246 highly specialized jobs in Querétaro. Announced in the presence of the government of Querétaro, the latest investment is a continuation of the close collaboration between the company and state authorities.
Bombardier’s Vice President of Transformation, Tony Curry, met with Querétaro’s Governor Mauricio Kuri González and other senior officials to present the expansion of Bombardier in Mexico in the state as part of a global-scale strategy to strengthen the company’s footprint in Mexico. In his remarks, Tony Curry highlighted that the Bombardier site in Querétaro is the largest outside of Canada and also noted the collaboration between government, academia, and industry in Querétaro.
Bombardier in Mexico is, through this latest investment, making clear that it is doubling down on its high-tech, advanced aerospace manufacturing strategy — that is, building greater scale and supporting next-generation aircraft programs for global customers.
Regional Impact and Ecosystem Considerations
Bombardier in Mexico’s economic, educational, and social impact in Querétaro and the wider aerospace manufacturing ecosystem is significant. The company has provided thousands of jobs and created highly valued human capital in the aerospace sector for a region with aspirations to become a global aerospace hub, integrating advanced manufacturing skills into the local workforce. In parallel, the company’s local presence has encouraged the development of training, education, and R&D institutions, such as UNAQ or other training centers, which both support the industry and also are able to provide talent.
Bombardier in Mexico has not been limited to its industrial and education roles in the region. It has a long-standing history of involvement in social and environmental projects. For instance, Bombardier in Mexico’s original 15-year anniversary of its site in Querétaro celebrated a strategic alliance with Sierra Gorda World Biosphere Reserve and an employee-led community effort, Causa Querétaro.
In addition, it has benefited the wider aerospace cluster, as Bombardier in Mexico is building increasingly advanced capacity at its facility, which in turn has invited, encouraged, and supported domestic suppliers to scale up and specialize, producing a more sophisticated and resilient Mexican aerospace supply chain. Industry analysts suggest that the Querétaro aerospace cluster today is comparable in scale to some of the world’s most renowned hubs, such as Toulouse or Wichita.
Mexico’s Advantage: Why Bombardier in Mexico Settled in Querétaro
Bombardier in Mexico chose Querétaro for several reasons, among which are:
- Human capital and education. Querétaro’s skilled workforce and training/research institutions are specialized in aerospace manufacturing.
- Logistics advantages and proximity to Querétaro Intercontinental Airport (QRO), to name just two benefits.
- Industry-academia-government collaboration. State policies and academic institutions created with the aerospace ecosystem in mind were critical to the project.
Cost-competitiveness and proximity to market. Mexico offers manufacturing advantages in terms of costs and yet is well-positioned to serve key markets in North America. In addition, by locating there, Bombardier in Mexico could further embed into its global supply-chain strategy and benefit from near-shoring advantages.
Looking Forward: Aerospace Supply-Chain, Resilience, and Positioning
The aerospace industry is in a process of change: growing demand for business and regional jets, new aircraft programs, the ongoing effects of the pandemic, and a steep increase in digitalization and data-driven manufacturing in the aerospace sector. Bombardier in Mexico is an industrial hub that is well-positioned to participate in and support the resilience of the industry’s global supply chain. In doing so, by continuing to develop its capabilities, working with its suppliers, integrating into the Querétaro ecosystem, and investing in industrial resilience, Bombardier in Mexico is also helping to transform Mexico’s aerospace industry into a more globally competitive industrial cluster.
The company’s Supplier Symposium in October 2025, and its theme of “shared growth,” are evidence of this broader impact. Strengthening local capabilities and jointly working with both academia and the government are ways to create a virtuous circle in which business performance and community/ecosystem development are part of the same equation.
Conclusion
Bombardier in Mexico is an example of a global company with a long-term vision that has not only transformed an industrial cluster in Querétaro into a regional hub and strategic pillar in the aerospace value chain, but has created an ecosystem in which to thrive in the long term, for its employees, its suppliers, and the aerospace sector more generally. The recent investment of US$18 million and 246 new jobs at Bombardier in Mexico are evidence of a company that is not scaling down in the region, but one that is scaling up, continuing to build capacity and make Querétaro a center of excellence for aerospace manufacturing.