Puerto Rico

Aguadilla, PR - The recent Aeronautical & Aerospace Institute of Puerto Rico (AAIPR) Market Study developed by the University of Puerto Rico's Business & Economic Development Center found that the facility is defining Puerto Rico’s aerospace and defense sectors. These sectors are among the most important industry components in today's global economy and complement existing workforce training facilities in the Puerto Rico region. The aeronautical and aerospace cluster development on the island is geographically equidistant from Vancouver in North America, Buenos Aires in South America and Lisboa in Portugal. This position provides the island with a strategic advantage for business development with the future of Puerto Rico's economy hinging on its ability to innovate and to improve productivity.

In October 2017, EDA invested $4,573,521 in Public Works funds to AAIPR to support the renovation of two existing buildings at the former Ramey Air Force Base for use by the Aeronautical and Aerospace Institute of Multidisciplinary Technologies (AAIMT), the research arm of the AAIPR. AAIPR realized there was a lack of infrastructure that supports workforce development in the aerospace and aeronautical industry. Both facilities have been unused for more than 46 years and were not built to resist hurricane and earthquake events.

Strategic partners and stakeholders include the City of Aguadilla, the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Lufthansa Technik Puerto Rico and Honeywell Aerospace. The AAIMT facility will be a unique facility which will have five clusters for research and development that will be developed in phases according to market needs and opportunities, customer requirements from current and future aerospace businesses, and fit with the region’s economic development strategies. This is a catalytic investment that will provide the next level of capabilities, job creation and global competitiveness that Puerto Rico requires to grow its fledgling aeronautical and aerospace cluster. It is anticipated that the project will result in 100 new jobs, 700 retained jobs, and $5,000,000 in private investment.