The Basque Country Aerospace and Space Cluster (HEGAN) held its General Assembly today. The event, which took place in the central building of the Miñano Technology Park, was led by Hipólito SUÁREZ, president of HEGAN and Secretary General of AERNNOVA, together with Martín FDEZ. LOIZAGA, Deputy Director of the Cluster Association. During the meeting, they reviewed last year's actions and presented those of the current year; management, plans and budgets were approved. In addition, the 2025 data were presented.
The figures generated in the past financial year by the 82 members that currently make up the Cluster have once again shown that, despite the difficulties of an increasingly complex global environment, the Cluster maintains a level of resilience typical of a robust and mature sector. The direct staff employed by the Association's members across all their production sites worldwide amounted to 15,133 people, with aggregate billing of more than 3.4 billion euros.
At the close of the Assembly, the composition of the HEGAN Board of Directors was approved, in a standard rotation process. Thus, Hipólito SUÁREZ, Secretary General of Aernnova, handed over the presidency to Carlos ALZOLA, CEO of ITP AERO, who will serve as president of HEGAN from today for the next two years.
Aerospace and Space Cluster of the Basque Country
The year 2025 was one in which the sector associated with HEGAN increased its global figures compared to 2024 by 4.4% in Employment and 14.9% in Turnover. These data confirm the growth forecasts advanced in recent months, despite the market distortions noted earlier. The Basque aerospace industry continues to demonstrate its strength and adaptability, confirming the strategies of HEGAN members, anticipating their customers' production and supply needs.
However, growing is not just about producing more, but doing it better: with greater efficiency, sustainability and robustness. Hence, the role of Innovation, Digitalization and technological development is a catalyst for competitiveness. Thus, in the past year, members' R&D&I investments amounted to 6.3% of sales, remaining one of the most R&D&I-intensive sectors, with more than 2,400 people active in this area.
Cluster figures in 2025
The Basque Country Aerospace and Space Cluster Association - HEGAN is made up of 82 members, positioned across virtually the entire aerospace value chain. Among them are 3 Tier 1 companies, 55 industrial companies, 10 technology centers, 5 universities and 9 partners. Currently, HEGAN members have a total of 168 facilities worldwide: 107 in the Basque Country, 33 in the rest of Spain and 28 abroad (Germany, Brazil, France, China, United States, India, Malta, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom and Romania).
Members generated in 2025 consolidated revenue of 3,413 million euros across all their plants worldwide. By subsector, Engines accounted for around 59% of this turnover; Aero-structures 30%; Systems and Equipment 6%; and Space 5%.
In terms of employment, it reached 15,133 people across all its facilities worldwide, with 22.5% female employment.
Exports totaled 2,896 million euros, representing 85% of total sales. By destination country, exports in this period were notable to the United Kingdom (30%), USA (22%), Germany (21%), and France (8%).
Another highlight is that R&D&I investment exceeded 213 million euros (of which 87% was self-financed).
Breaking down the figures and taking those generated in the three historical Basque territories, employment exceeded 6,000 people (specifically 6,259), having increased by 8.6% compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, turnover generated in Basque plants and facilities grew, reaching nearly 1.690 billion euros, with a growth of 13.5%. These figures demonstrate the sector's growing importance in the overall industrial and productive fabric of the Basque Country.
Fiscal year 2025 and variation from 2024:
| DATA | 2025 | Δ 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| TOTAL TURNOVER (M€) | 3,413 | 14.9% |
| TURNOVER in BASQUE COUNTRY (M€) | 1,687 | 13.5% |
| R&D INVESTMENT (M€) | 213 | 10.9% |
| EXPORT (M€) | 2,896 | 14.2% |
| TOTAL EMPLOYMENT | 15,133 | 4.4% |
| EMPLOYMENT in BASQUE COUNTRY | 6,259 | 8.6% |
Sector Situation
Sector data support a period of sustained growth in employment, turnover and technological activity, driven by increased production rates among major civil aircraft manufacturers, the dynamism of institutional and private space markets, and the growing importance of niches such as Security, Dual Technologies or future Net-Zero Emissions Platforms.
Added to this is a Europe more aware of the need to protect and strengthen industrial and technological sovereignty; positioning the aerospace sector as vital for a country's economy and key within institutional policies, as in the case of the Euskadi Industry Plan 2030 where the Sector is recognized as strategic and of great driving potential.
Sector Forecasts
Starting with civil aviation, the main client subsector of the Basque Cluster, IATA forecasts that global air travel demand will more than double by 2050. This means annual growth of around 3%. Meanwhile, major final integrators expect the in-service fleet in 2044 to be between 49,210 units and 49,640, virtually doubling the current one, and expecting to supply about 43,000 new aircraft by that year 2044. These forecasts will pose challenges in terms of production, airport and environmental capacity limits.
In the next client subsector, Space, everything points to a major increase in overall activity. In this regard, following the incorporation of new commercial-oriented players, the increase in private investments in recent years, and the commitment by Administrations to develop new operations in Science and Security, the global space economy reached a value of €620 billion in 2025, with forecasts that, in the worst case, double that figure by 2035 , and reaching 70,000 satellites in orbit by 2030. (today, about 17,000 active artifacts orbit us).
Finally, the growth of other niches such as Security, New Urban Mobility, Dual Technologies, Sustainable Aviation... all with positive growth prospects.
Challenges, Value and Strategic Nature of the Sector
Now, the Cluster's challenge is to manage growth and major opportunities in an environment of great unpredictability and complexity, without losing cohesion, strengthening the value chain and consolidating itself as an international industrial and technological benchmark.
On the other hand, the European Union must adopt an ambitious and coordinated strategy capable of achieving global leadership in Aeronautics and developing a leading Space industry; strengthening industrial and technological sovereignty and autonomy; ensuring competitiveness vis-à-vis other rivals; and sensibly driving the sector's decarbonization.
Protecting the European aerospace value chain is a fundamental vector to achieve these objectives; it is also key to strengthening the sector's resilience against disruptions, uncertainties and global crises. To avoid a loss of global sectoral leadership, technological, energy and raw material dependence, and a weakening of the European industrial, technological and scientific base, Europe must act united to sustain a critical, key and vital sector for the Continent's wealth, social and demographic well-being, and its security and protection.
A transformation of this magnitude will necessarily entail massive investment, a need for harmonized public support, and an alignment between industrial, innovation and sustainability policies.
In this context, the Basque Country and its ecosystem provide strengths that contribute significantly to the European Value Chain:
- A competitive aeronautical and space hub with capabilities throughout the product cycle; including R&D&I, design, development, manufacturing, testing and maintenance; with a high level of industrial and technological integration.
- A robust, flexible and technologically advanced supply chain, largely composed of highly specialized SMEs, guaranteeing diversification and supply chain security.
- A solid innovation ecosystem: close collaboration between industry, research centers, universities and Basque Administrations positions it as a relevant player in R&D&I, actively participating in major European, Spanish and Basque programs.
- A generator of highly qualified employment, contributing to economic and social cohesion.
Thus, it is essential to maintain the rootedness of HEGAN members, preventing their decision centers from moving outside the Basque Country to continue consolidating a solid, strategic activity key to scientific, technological, industrial, economic and social development.
HEGAN Members
Industry: AERNNOVA, ITP AERO, SENER, AALBERTS TEY, AEROMEC, AEROSPACE ENG. GR., AIBE, ANTERAL, ARATZ GROUP, ASTORKIA, AYZAR, BATZ, BERKOA, BURDINBERRI, DANOBATGROUP, DOILAN, DTK, EGAMASTER, EGILE, EHAFF, EIBAR PRECISION CASTING, EKIN, ELECTROHILO, ENGRANAJES URETA, EUROUTIL, EYHER, GEMINYS, IGESTEK, INDUSTRIAS GALINDO, INGETEAM, INTERMAHER, KHEGAL, KORTA, LAZPIUR, MESIMA, METALÚRGICA MARINA, MET-MEKA, METROLOGÍA SARIKI, MICROLAN AEROSPACE, MIZAR ADDITIVE, NUTER, ONA ELECTROEROSIÓN, POTEZ AERONAUTIKA, RENISHAW IBÉRICA, SATLANTIS, SERVEO, SIKULAN, SISTEPLANT, TECNASA, TM TELLERIA, TRIGO ADR, TTT GROUP, TUBACEX, WEC, WOLCO GROUP, XUBI, ZERBIMEK and ZERUA TECH.
Technological entities: AZTERLAN, CEIT, CIDETEC, CTA, GAIKER, IDEKO, LORTEK, NAITEC, TECNALIA and TEKNIKER
Universities: EHU/UPV, MONDRAGON UNIB., TECNUN, UNIV. DEUSTO and UPNA
Partners: COMPITTE, DELOITTE, DERICHEBOURG, EY, GU, H&A, LABORAL KUTXA, SMARTLOG and SYNERGIE
Hegan
