BASA allows the Mexican aerospace industry to take off

Since the U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement was signed in 2011, Mexico has emerged as one of the top aviation manufacturing centers in the world. According to Manufacturing in Mexico News, BASA allowed products made in Mexico to receive an official safety certification instead of having to be shipped back to the U.S. for the rating. Because of BASA, Mexico has seen a surge in aerospace production as more businesses decided to offshore their manufacturing to the country. 

MMN reported that BASA was essential to the Mexican aviation industry. According to Mexico Today, the Mexican aerospace sector's total sales improved by 25 percent from 2010 to 2011, totaling $4.5 billion. Compared to the global aviation industry's overall annual growth rate of 15 percent in 2011, the Mexican sector has seen significant increases. 

In an interview with The Offshore Group, Humberto Gayou, principal attorney at the Mexican law firm Lexcorp Abogados, said BASA was not only important for improving the Mexican aerospace industry but for allowing original equipment manufacturers to expand into Mexico and keep costs down.

"Today, the BASA agreement allows suppliers and OEMs to acknowledge and recognize the certification process by the Mexican authority that is equivalent to the FAA," Gayou said. "... [BASA] will allow more aerospace manufacturing to be done in Mexico, and will put finished products in the aerospace supply chain sooner."

According to MMN, BASA will have positive influences on the Mexican aviation industry well into the future. More aerospace manufacturers are beginning to understand the benefits of offshoring their production process to the country, advantages that include a leaner supply chain and the employment of highly-skilled workers. With the aviation agreement between the U.S. and Mexico now in effect, the number of OEMs in the country will continue to increase.