Varese propels Lombardy’s aerospace sector to a new record
Overseas sales more than doubled in the province during the first quarter; the region accounted for 41 per cent of national exports
The Varese district has provided the decisive impetus to propel Lombardy’s aerospace sector to a new export record – a surge that was evident throughout 2025 but has been repeated and amplified in the first few months of this year as well.
Sales of aircraft and spacecraft outside Lombardy reached almost three billion euros last year, almost triple the figure for 2020. During the same period, the sector’s other clusters, whilst growing significantly, saw their growth limited to 35 per cent. As a result, Lombardy has become the leading region in the sector for exports (a position it has held since 2024, having overtaken Lazio and Piedmont), accounting last year for 37 per cent of the sector’s cross-border sales, up from 22 per cent in 2020.
This development is particularly linked to the province of Varese, where Leonardo’s fixed-wing and rotary-wing sites are located; these facilities form the hub of a vast network of supply-chain SMEs, companies which, in turn, are able to secure contracts on the international stage.
“It confirms the technological merit of what our companies do,” explains Paolo Cerabolini, president of the Lombardy Aerospace Cluster – reaping the rewards of years of work through long-term contracts that recognise not only the excellence of the lead company but also the strength of the supply chain, which is gradually becoming more international.”
International presence confirmed by the massive turnout (the seventh) by the Lombardia Aerospace Cluster at the biennial Farnborough Airshow, with 24 companies – mostly SMEs – setting a new record for the number of participants representing a regional sector comprising more than 200 companies, nearly 22,000 employees and an annual turnover of 6.3 billion.
