Aero Excellence ™ Framework Highlighted at ILA Berlin 2026

At the ILA Berlin Air Show, the benefits of the Aero Excellence ™ framework for the operational excellence of the aerospace value chain were emphasised by industry stakeholders in attendance. Spain has joined the initiative.

• The program aimed at strengthening supply chain maturity has carried out 222 assessments, including 2 Silver awards and 78 Bronze awards
• More than 900 assessors from 25 OEMs and customers are currently undergoing qualification
• Many representatives of the initiative were present at ILA Berlin 2026 to showcase the progress of the framework
• Spain, represented by TEDAE, has joined the international association
• Aero Excellence™ International has updated its website: www.aeroexcellence.com

Since its operational launch in the second quarter of 2024, Aero Excellence ™ has rapidly established itself as a key tool for the global aerospace supply chain.

In less than two years, the program has reached a series of milestones demonstrating the strong and growing commitment of the international industry to a harmonized approach to supplier maturity assessment.

Nearly 600 sites have registered in the program, and 222 formal assessments have been completed. Among the assessed sites, 78 have achieved Bronze recognition and 2 have reached the Silver level, reflecting a significant level of supply chain maturity.

Engagement on the assessor side is particularly noteworthy: more than 900 assessors from over 25 OEMs and customer organisations are currently involved in the assessor qualification process, illustrating the scale of industry-wide adoption across the global aerospace ecosystem.

In this context of rapid growth and increasing industry adoption, Aero Excellence ™ was prominently featured at ILA Berlin 2026 through two dedicated events bringing together key stakeholders from the international and German aerospace industries.

On Wednesday, June 10, Aero Excellence ™ International opened discussions with a high-level panel, marked by a keynote from Benoît Schultz, Chief Procurement Officer of Airbus, who underscored Airbus’ commitment to the initiative. He reported 127 assessments conducted by Airbus assessors in 2024–2025, with 133 planned for 2026, totalling 326 Airbus assessors. He strongly encouraged companies to view the program as an opportunity to identify strengths and weaknesses and prepare for the future.

His intervention was followed by insights from Diego Garcia Galan of Aciturri and Hugo Torres, Managing Director of Aero Excellence ™ International, on the program’s growing global footprint. Johan Petry of Novelis concluded the session with a practical case study on maturity development.

On this occasion, Hugo Torres celebrated Spain’s entry into the Aero Excellence ™ International association- joining France (GIFAS), the United Kingdom (ASD), and Germany (BDLI) -by presenting the Aero Excellence™ International trophy to Diego Garcia Galan of Aciturri.

The following morning, Thursday, June 11, BDLI and SCE A organized an Aero Excellence event for the German industry. Nils Witt, Chief Procurement Officer of Airbus Aerostructures, shared his strategic vision of the supply chain, alongside speeches from Bernd Schröder (SCE A) and Dr. Stefan Berndes (BDLI).

Suppliers Diehl, Liebherr, and Novelis brought first-hand perspectives from different tiers of the supply chain.

Aero Excellence ™ is an industry initiative designed to replace the patchwork of parallel supplier assessments conducted by various OEMs with a single, harmonized framework for evaluating maturity. For SMEs in particular, the multiplication of redundant audits represents a significant administrative burden. Aero Excellence™ directly addresses this challenge by establishing common, standardized criteria recognized across the industry.

The process follows a clear structure: suppliers first complete a comprehensive self-assessment covering a wide range of operational domains, followed by an independent evaluation conducted by qualified assessors. Sites that meet or exceed defined expectations are awarded Bronze, Silver, or Gold recognition. Where gaps remain, suppliers receive recommendations for improvement to support targeted and sustainable progress.