AS9100D Aerospace Forging Supplier for Spain: Airbus Espana, ITP Aero, and Aciturri

August 7, 2026


Spain’s aerospace manufacturing sector — anchored by Airbus España (Getafe and Puerto Real), ITP Aero (Zamudio, Basque Country), and Aciturri Aeronáutica (Miranda de Ebro) is the fourth-largest in Europe by revenue. ITP Aero designs and manufactures aeroengine components for Rolls-Royce, GE Aerospace, and Pratt & Whitney, consuming Inconel 718 and Ti-6Al-4V disc and ring forgings. Airbus España produces A400M military transport fuselage sections and A350 composite structures consuming titanium structural forgings. Indian AS9100D certified forging manufacturers are positioned to supply the Spanish aerospace supply chain at 20–30% cost advantage.

CompanyProgrammeKey ForgingMaterial
ITP Aero (Zamudio)Rolls-Royce Trent XWB, T700LP turbine discs, LPT structural ringsInconel 718, Inconel 625
ITP Aero (Zamudio)GE Aviation T700, CT7Turbine disc, structural casing ringInconel 718, alloy steel
Airbus España (Getafe)A400M military transportStructural bulkheads, fuselage framesTi-6Al-4V, 7075-T73
Aciturri (Miranda de Ebro)A320neo, A350, NH90Wing ribs, fuselage frames, door surround7075-T73, Ti-6Al-4V
Indra SistemasF-18 Hornet MROStructural repair forgingsTi-6Al-4V, 4340

ITP Aero — headquartered in Zamudio near Bilbao and majority-owned by Bain Capital since 2022 is Spain’s only aeroengine manufacturer and one of Europe’s leading tier-1 aeroengine suppliers. ITP produces low-pressure turbine modules and structural engine components for Rolls-Royce (Trent family), GE Aerospace (T700 military turboshaft), and Pratt & Whitney. As a tier-1 aeroengine supplier, ITP requires NADCAP accreditation from its disc forging suppliers NADCAP AC7102 for heat treatment and AC7114 for NDT are mandatory for rotating component supply. ITP’s supplier qualification process mirrors that of Rolls-Royce and GE, as ITP’s own NADCAP accreditation requires it to impose equivalent requirements on its sub-tier suppliers.

Airbus Espana — operating the Getafe facility near Madrid (A400M final assembly) and the Puerto Real facility in Cádiz (A380 horizontal tail plane, now transitioning to A350 components) is a key part of the Airbus Group’s distributed European manufacturing network. The A400M military transport with 174 aircraft ordered by NATO air forces uses Ti-6Al-4V structural forgings for the centre wing box carry-through structure, fuselage frames, and engine pylon structural fittings. A400M programme forgings are subject to both EASA Part 21G requirements and NATO STANAG quality standards for military aircraft components.

Aciturri Aeronautica — a privately-held Spanish aerospace tier-1 manufacturer based in Miranda de Ebro produces fuselage sections, wing components, and flight control surfaces for Airbus (A320neo, A350) and military programmes (NH90 helicopter fuselage sections). Aciturri purchases forged blanks from qualified suppliers and machines and assembles them into structural sub-assemblies. Indian forging manufacturers qualifying as Aciturri tier-2 forging suppliers access Airbus and NH90 programme content without the complexity of direct Airbus or Airbus Defence & Space qualification.

Spain’s SENER Group — an engineering and technology group active in aerospace supplies spacecraft structures, launch vehicle components, and satellite structural elements. SENER uses Ti-6Al-4V and Inconel 718 structural forgings for ESA missions and contributes to the Ariane 6 launch vehicle. Spanish space sector forging supply follows ECSS standards (same as the GKN Sweden space programmes discussed in Blog 42) rather than the NADCAP requirements of the commercial aeroengine supply chain.

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Vinir Engineering — Capability for this Market

  1. AS9100D full scope, Bureau Veritas, OASIS verifiable.
  2. Inconel 718 double ageing at 718°C and 621°C in AMS 2750-calibrated furnaces with TUS records for ITP Aero aeroengine supply.
  3. Ti-6Al-4V STA with alpha case control for Airbus Espana A400M structural forgings.
  4. 7075-T73 aluminium forgings under AMS 2770 heat treatment.
  5. AS9102 FAIR experience for new part number qualification.
  6. NABL-accredited OES and mechanical testing.
  7. Ring rolling to Ø4,500mm for ITP Aero casing rings.
  8. Ocean freight Chennai to Bilbao or Cádiz: 24–30 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.What NADCAP scope does ITP Aero require from its disc forging suppliers and how does this affect Indian manufacturers?+–
ITP Aero, as a NADCAP-accredited tier-1 aeroengine supplier to Rolls-Royce and GE Aerospace, must impose NADCAP requirements on its own sub-tier forging suppliers to maintain its own NADCAP accreditation. This means Indian forging manufacturers supplying ITP Aero with Inconel 718 turbine disc forgings must hold NADCAP AC7102 (heat treatment) and NADCAP AC7114/AC7114 Supplement C (penetrant testing and ultrasonic testing for rotating components). For Indian manufacturers without existing NADCAP accreditation, the NADCAP pursuit timeline of 12–18 months must be factored into the ITP Aero qualification planning horizon. Without NADCAP, supply is limited to non-rotating structural components where ITP Aero applies AS9100D rather than NADCAP to its sub-tier.
2.What is the A400M military transport programme and what structural forging content does it use?+–
The A400M Atlas is a large four-turboprop military transport aircraft produced by Airbus Defence & Space at the Getafe final assembly line near Madrid. 174 aircraft are on order from Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Spain, Turkey, and the UK. Each A400M uses Ti-6Al-4V structural forgings for the centre wing box (the primary structural member carrying wing bending loads), the fuselage main frames, the engine pylon primary structure, and the rear cargo ramp structural fittings. The programme’s military classification means forgings for some A400M structural areas require ITAR-equivalent European export control compliance (CIEO in France, BAFA in Germany) for technical data transmission.
3.How does Aciturri’s position as an Airbus tier-1 supplier create forging opportunities for Indian manufacturers?+–
Aciturri purchases forged blanks, machines them to finished structural components, and delivers assembled sub-assemblies to Airbus. As Aciturri’s tier-2 forging supplier, an Indian manufacturer supplies Aciturri — not Airbus directly. Aciturri’s supplier qualification requirements (AS9100D, material certification, dimensional capability) are less complex than Airbus’s direct supplier requirements, making the Aciturri pathway faster to enter (10–15 months versus 18–24 months for Airbus direct). Aciturri’s growing programme portfolio expanding from A320neo into A350 and potential future Airbus programmes means that qualifying with Aciturri provides access to an increasing volume of Airbus programme content over time.
4.What is Spain’s SENER Group and what space sector forging opportunities does it represent?+–
SENER Group is a Spanish engineering conglomerate with a significant space technology division supplying spacecraft mechanisms, solar array drives, and structural components for ESA missions (ExoMars, Solar Orbiter, JUICE) and commercial satellites. SENER’s structural components use Ti-6Al-4V and Inconel 718 forgings produced under ECSS quality standards. The space sector forging volumes are smaller than commercial aerospace individual missions require 10–50 structural forgings rather than the hundreds per production campaign typical of commercial aircraft but unit values are high and qualification timelines shorter than commercial aeroengine. SENER represents an accessible entry point into the Spanish aerospace supply chain for Indian manufacturers building toward larger commercial aerospace programmes.
5.What is the cost position of Indian aerospace forgings versus domestic Spanish supply for ITP Aero?+–
Spanish domestic aerospace forging supply is limited Spain has relatively few forge shops with aerospace disc forging capability. Most Spanish aerospace forging demand is currently met by French (Aubert & Duval, Timet France), German (Otto Fuchs, Schuler), and UK (Doncasters, Carlton Forge Works) suppliers. Indian Inconel 718 disc forgings with AS9100D and NADCAP credentials are typically 20–30% lower landed cost in Spain than equivalent French or German supply. For ITP Aero — which is itself under cost pressure as a Bain Capital-owned business with profitability targets — Indian forging supply at meaningful cost advantage is commercially compelling once the qualification hurdle (principally NADCAP) is cleared.