Jauregi Highlights the Strategic Role of the Basque Aeronautical Industry in Europe’s Reindustrialization
The Basque Government’s Minister of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi, inaugurated today the 22nd ITP Aero Technology Convention, held on October 23 and 24 at the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. The event has become a key forum for the exchange and dissemination of technological knowledge that drives the company’s innovation and strategy.
Under the theme “Technology for Growth,” the convention focuses on technology as a driver of innovation, competitiveness, and sustainability during a period of expansion for ITP Aero, reinforcing its industrial and technological leadership from Euskadi and its commitment to the growth and transformation of the global aerospace sector.
In his remarks, Jauregi stressed that “ITP Aero faithfully represents the very best of our country’s industry. Every two minutes, an aircraft powered by technology developed here in Euskadi takes off somewhere in the world.”
The Minister highlighted the company’s sustained commitment to innovation, with more than €600 million invested in R&D over the past decade, as well as its pioneering role in sustainable aviation and the decarbonization of air transport, promoting hybrid-electric and hydrogen-based propulsion technologies.
Jauregi placed this commitment within the public–private collaboration model promoted by the Basque Government, aimed at “building the Basque industry of the future through rootedness, innovation, and traction across the entire industrial value chain.” In this regard, he recalled the Basque Government’s 6% shareholding in ITP Aero, as a clear sign of its commitment to the company’s local presence and technological development.
He also underlined the strategic importance of the aeronautical and aerospace sector within the Euskadi Industry Plan 2030, which identifies it as one of the key sectors for the future. This plan will mobilize €15.9 billion in public–private investment over the course of the current legislature, through projects that promote “more industry, better industry, and fewer emissions.”
Among these initiatives, Jauregi mentioned two directly linked to ITP Aero:
The development in Euskadi of new sustainable engine architectures, and
The creation of a Center of Excellence for the technological development of green hydrogen and renewable fuels.
The Minister concluded his speech by stating that “in a time of uncertainty, Euskadi has the foundations to play a leading role in Europe’s reindustrialization — and ITP Aero will be one of the key leaders of that industrial renaissance.”
The convention brings together over 200 ITP Aero engineers and professionals from the technology and industrial sectors, alongside top-level international speakers such as Val Miftakhov, founder and CEO of ZeroAvia, and Frank Haselbach, SVP Propulsion Engineering at Airbus.
