The aviation industry in NRW is developing into an important innovation driver: The Aero-Park is being built on an area of up to 80 hectares at the Aachen-Merzbrück airfield. The ground-breaking ceremony for the first building, Aero-Park I, took place recently: A 150-meter-long and 12-meter-high research hangar is being built here. Research and industry partners will work together on projects including the development of hydrogen-powered turbines to significantly reduce emissions from aviation. The goal: climate-neutral aviation.
Aero Park I is scheduled for completion in 2026. The hangar will serve as a base for research aircraft for Aachen University of Applied Sciences and will also provide space for state-of-the-art laboratories and offices. An Innovation Village is also planned, which will offer employees a modern infrastructure with services and shops in the immediate vicinity. The entire Aero Park will be completed by 2035 in two further construction phases, Aero Park II and III.
The project will create up to 4,000 jobs and provide important impetus for sustainable structural change in the Rhenish mining region. The Aachen-Düren region is already home to numerous companies that produce innovative manufacturing solutions for aircraft components and wind turbines. The Aero-Park offers them new opportunities to expand their locations and thus contributes to the expansion of the region's already outstanding aviation expertise.