ROMA (ITALPRESS) – The first mapping of the Italian aerospace industry was presented today, at the Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy, jointly by the National Technology Cluster Aerospazio (CTNA) and Confindustria. The initiative is a structured and up-to-date analysis of one of the country’s most strategic industrial sectors.
The mapping, based on data collected through direct contact with companies and validated for the financial component in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo, returns a quantitative and qualitative picture of the national aerospace ecosystem, highlighting its size, spatial distribution and technological profile.
The analysis shows how the Italian aerospace industry in 2024 recorded 21,4 billion euros of total turnover, of which 5% invested in R&D, employs 54,300 employees with an industrial base constituted 80% by SMEs. There is also a significant expansion both in the space and in the aeronautical sector, with a trend in constant growth: compared to 2021 the space with +63% turnover (from 1,9 to 3,1 billion euros) and +51% of employees; the air force with +30% turnover (from 14,1 to 18,3 billion euros) and +17% of employees. Italy is one of the few countries with a complete supply chain, able to cover all levels: from large supplements to suppliers of components and services. The sector also presents itself as an industrial infrastructure distributed on the national territory: Campania, Lazio, Lombardy and Piedmont concentrate 74% of the aeronautical workers; Lazio, Lombardy and Piedmont 81% of people in the space segment.
The mapping also introduces an innovative approach to spatial reading, based on the value generated in regional operational locations. The sample analysed includes 38 large companies, 220 SMEs, 18 start-ups, 38 research bodies and 24 universities. For the first time, the supply chain is classified according to international technological standards (ECARE and ESA), distinguishing between consolidated and emerging skills. The mapping was realized through a collaboration between CTNA and Confindustria, with the involvement of the regional districts and the territorial offices of Confindustria, significantly expanding the scope of surveying compared to previous analyses. The sample, on a voluntary basis, is wide and representative but not exhaustive of the entire supply chain. Among the main areas: aeronautics (aerostructures, motors, avionics, MRO, radar systems, RPAS) and space (satellites, secure communications, robotics, spatial infrastructure, satellite data services).
“Space is not only an industrial sector, but a leading and strategic axis on which to build the competitiveness, security and technological sovereignty of our country, the most significant sector that can inspire new generations to face the challenges of the future, having confidence in science and technology – said the Minister of Enterprises and Made in Italy, Adolfo Urso -. The very fact that Italy has taken a place in the Moon, with two astronauts that will be the first Europeans to walk on our satellite and with the possibility to realize the ‘house of Made in Italy’ in which the first lunar explorers will live, makes us understand how we have returned protagonists in the new adventure of man beyond the Earth, making dream what will shortly be the new generations of scientists and entrepreneurs. This first joint mapping of the Italian chain demonstrates moreover with the strength of the numbers that the Space belongs to all Italians, unites the Peninsula. The sector is in fact able to generate value and qualified occupation in different Italian regions, in the North as in the South, with a mature and integrated system, which covers the entire value chain and makes space a factor of cohesion and a dimension able to unite the whole country”.
“Italy – he added the minister – has all the papers in order to assert itself among the protagonists of the new era of space exploration, founded on a stable and lasting human presence on the Moon. A vision strengthened also by the Statement signed in Washington with NASA administrator Jared Isaacman, dedicated to the development of housing modules that can guarantee astronauts safe operating conditions under the Artemis program. Italy remains to look: it is ready to lead this new frontier of humanity”.
“The results of this mapping are a fundamental step for the full awareness of the strategic value of the Italian aerospace chain – said Giorgio Marsiaj, delegate for the Aerospace of Confindustria -. The data highlight a solid, competitive and growing sector, but above all highlight the need to further strengthen industrial policies, investment in innovation and integration between enterprises, research and training system. This is why, as the Confindustria System and in coordination with the Institutions, we are working on a structured project to strengthen the chain: to support its growth, promote aggregation and broaden the base to national subjects able to complement existing technological and manufacturing capabilities. A logic of the Country System that exceeds the boundaries of the individual territories because the opportunities of the coming years come together, and we want to continue to be one of the main industrial systems of the sector globally”.
“The mapping path initiated by the Cluster in 2021, with the aim of building a structured and shared knowledge of the national aerospace chain, also thanks to the contribution of data validation by Intesa Sanpaolo, is strengthened today with the precious collaboration of Confindustria, which has allowed to expand the base of analysis and penetration in the territories – said Cristina Leone, President of the CTNA -. The Cluster plays a central role in connecting Italian aerospace districts, companies, SMEs, universities and research centres, helping to consolidate an integrated and competitive ecosystem, fully integrated into the European and international value chains. A dynamism confirmed by the data, which highlights the strategic value of the aerospace sector for the country system: a sector that integrates industry and research, generates innovation and represents a pillar of growth, of the competitiveness of Made in Italy and of the positioning of Italy in the great global sectors”.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
