Busan City-Airbus CTC-Korean Air Join Hands to Foster Future Aviation Industry Ecosystem

Airbus CTC, Korean Air, and Busan Technopark Sign MOU for 'Busan Future Aviation Industry Development Cooperation'

Mutual Cooperation on Cluster, International Joint R&D, Airbus CTC Korea Busan Attraction, and Infrastructure Development

Busan City is taking active steps to foster the future aviation industry ecosystem to nurture future growth industries in Busan.

Busan City Hall.

On the 12th, at 3 p.m. local time in Germany, the city signed a 'Busan Future Aviation Industry Promotion Cooperation Agreement' with Airbus CTC, Korean Air, and Busan Technopark at the Airbus CTC headquarters located in Stade, Germany.

This is the first time a domestic local government has established a cooperative system with Airbus CTC, the research institute of the global leading aircraft manufacturer Airbus.

This agreement was made to build a specialized industry-academia-research cluster in Busan focused on composite material R&D for next-generation transportation devices (aircraft, urban air mobility (UAM), automobiles, shipbuilding, etc.) in cooperation with global composite parts R&D companies such as Airbus CTC, and to foster a future aviation industry ecosystem centered around this cluster.

Airbus CTC is a composite materials research corporation of the Airbus Group located in Stade, Germany. It develops core composite material components for Airbus aircraft and actively conducts international joint R&D with Korean Air in South Korea.

The city plans to establish a future aviation industry ecosystem centered around a 1 million-pyeong site near Gimhae Airport, which will be developed as a national industrial complex within the '2nd Eco Delta Smart City' in connection with the opening of the new Gadukdo Airport in 2029.

Composite materials are mixed materials made by combining two or more materials to enhance the overall properties of the material. They are used to reduce weight while increasing strength and are applied in parts of aircraft, spacecraft, and armored vehicles.

The global aviation industry, which had been stagnant due to COVID-19, is showing rapid recovery following the return to normal life. In particular, aircraft production volumes have far exceeded pre-COVID-19 levels, with global aircraft manufacturers fiercely competing through the launch of new models.

However, the domestic aviation industry ecosystem has been recovering relatively slowly in comparison. Taking this agreement as an opportunity, the city plans to focus on fostering the future aviation industry ecosystem in Busan to secure niche areas in the aviation market.

Through this agreement, the partner organizations will mutually cooperate in establishing a composite material R&D specialized industry-academia-research cluster, conducting international joint research and development (R&D), and developing infrastructure to foster Busan's future aviation industry ecosystem.

Specifically, based on the aircraft composite material research achievements carried out by Airbus CTC and Korean Air, the city will mobilize all administrative capabilities to support the promotion of cooperative development projects.

Additionally, the partner organizations will cooperate to attract Airbus CTC's subsidiary, Airbus CTC Korea, to the Busan area and establish a roadmap for creating a 'composite material R&D specialized industry-academia-research cluster' that can expand to future aviation including next-generation aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles, urban air mobility (UAM), as well as ground and maritime mobility.

In particular, they plan to jointly cooperate in playing a platform role for attracting companies in the future aviation industry sector, developing infrastructure, nurturing talent, and fostering industry-academia-research collaboration.

When President Yoon Suk-yeol visited Busan, he declared the development of Busan as a 'global hub city' and promised support for building Busan’s future aviation industry cluster and technology support infrastructure centered around the Korean Air Tech Center (located in Gangseo-gu). Accordingly, this agreement is expected to accelerate the project implementation.

Mayor Park Hyung-jun stated, “The future aviation industry, along with secondary batteries and power semiconductors, is a core future growth industry that will lead Busan’s economy.” He added, “Taking this agreement as an opportunity, we will operate regular working groups with Airbus CTC, a global composite parts R&D company, and Korean Air, a leading domestic anchor company, to establish and implement a solid development roadmap. Through this, we will do our best to make Busan a representative region for the global aircraft parts industry.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.