As 2026 gathers pace, the Aero Excellence™ programme enters a new phase of international growth and operational momentum.
Aero Excellence™ is a standardised assessment of supplier performance and maturity, improving the entire supply chain across borders. Building on strong foundations in the UK and Europe, the programme continues to expand into North America while simultaneously scaling up activity in the UK. Sarah Barnard, Head of Aero Excellence™ in the UK explains more…
As we move further into 2026, I’m incredibly proud of the pace and progress we’re seeing across Aero Excellence™.
Expanding into North America
One of the most significant developments this year has been our expansion into North America.
We’ve launched a US Steering Committee with senior representation from Airbus and Safran, alongside engagement with major OEMs including RTX (Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney), GE Aerospace, Honeywell and Moog Inc..
For me, this level of industry backing sends a clear message: Aero Excellence™ has become a globally recognised and internationally relevant assessment for aerospace and defence supply chains.
In February, we delivered two-day Introduction Sessions in Connecticut and Mirabel, Canada. The engagement and openness in the room were fantastic to see.
Two further Safran-supported sessions are already planned for Dallas in April 2026, and I’m excited to see that momentum continue.
Celebrating Progress: Our latest Bronze Award Winners
It’s incredibly rewarding to see businesses recognised through the achievement of gaining Bronze and Silver status.
Most recently, we celebrated Beverston Engineering and Clarendon Speciality Fasterners (CSF) receive Bronze awards, for demonstrating strong leadership commitment, structured improvement and a genuine willingness to challenge internal processes. Both organisations have shown that when teams align around clear standards and measurable outcomes, meaningful progress follows.
Our next assessment is at Roxel’s impressive 140-acre site in Kidderminster. What makes this particularly powerful is the joint assessment team — bringing together expertise from Thales Group, MBDA and Airbus.
That collaborative model is one of Aero Excellence’s greatest strengths. By aligning expectations across OEMs and sharing best practice openly, we create consistency, clarity and confidence throughout the supply chain.
A Step Change for 2026
Perhaps the most transformational development this year is the scale of activity ahead.
We are moving from delivering around 20 UK assessments annually to completing 80 within the next 10 months. That fourfold increase reflects growing confidence in the framework and a collective commitment to raising standards across the sector.
To support this ramp up…
- Assessor onboarding in the UK continues to expand, with sessions scheduled for March and May and further dates planned.
- Assessor qualification continues to escalate, with more individuals progressing through Assessor, Lead Assessor and Senior Lead Assessor levels.
- New Supplier Training & Support Programme in 2026 will be launched, providing structured next steps for organisations ready to deepen their operational excellence maturity.
This combination of increased capacity, stronger assessor capability and enhanced supplier support gives us the infrastructure needed for sustainable scale.
Looking Ahead
We will continue to embed Aero Excellence™ across industry. OEMs, suppliers and assessors are working together with the same commitment to build resilient, high-performing aerospace and defence supply chains.
With governance through Aero Excellence International, what started with programmes focused on the UK and European supply chain, is gaining real international traction. The next ten months will be pivotal. In a globally competitive world, I’m confident that, together, we are building something that will have lasting success for UK companies and I’m excited to be part of it.
