The British company Aerospace Engineering Solutions (AES), which specialises in aircraft certification and design, has kicked off 2023 with the opening of a new office in Malaga. This is the first step in a phase of international expansion for the company, which aims to build new relationships with Europe from the Costa del Sol.

The new office will operate as AES Spain, a wholly owned subsidiary of the parent company. They aim to develop new partnerships with commercial and private aviation customers across Europe. In their introductory statement, the aircraft company highlights the level 2A Design Organisation Approval (DOA) from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), a capability which will benefit potential clients.

Andalusia Aerospace
AES is the first DOA-recognised company to operate in Malaga and only the second in Andalusia. Their office has been set up in BIC Euronova, a state-of-the-art business incubator located in the Andalusia Technology Park. They have also become a member of the Andalusia Aerospace cluster, which involves the participation of more than 60 aerospace companies. Work will concentrate on fostering technological developments, potential project collaboration and strengthening their international presence.

AES Spain has recruited a team of highly skilled design engineers to run the new operation. These include two aerospace engineering graduates from the University of Malaga, who represent the company's commitment to future-proofing its skills base. Lola Lahoz, an aerospace engineer from the University of Seville whose professional career has developed within the company, has been appointed design office manager.

Growth strategy
AES director and head of design Anton Heissig highlighted the role of the Andalusia Aerospace cluster "as a valuable network to increase our presence within the European aviation community." He described the launch of the new office as a "testament to the support of the entire AES team, shareholders, clients and partners, which has enabled us to expand our international capacity as part of the company's growth strategy. We are proud to be the first DOA based in Malaga, which gives AES a solid footing in Europe and a deeper integration with our continental partners."

Lola Lahoz commented, "Our new DOA office in Malaga provides an excellent base to build the profile and capacity of AES internationally, both in civil and military aviation markets. BIC Euronova is the ideal environment to help AES expand its expertise in aerospace certification with current and new business sectors, such as drone certification in collaboration with the Andalucia Aerospace cluster."

Lahoz underlined the importance of training future generations, "We also aim to further develop links with Spanish universities and build a base to forge links in other Spanish-speaking countries in South America.”

^{Photo: AES}