Louis Gallois, CEO of EADS, visited Strata’s plant in Al Ain (UAE) this past Thursday, accompanied by a delegation of senior management from EADS and Airbus, and representatives from the French Embassy in the UAE.

Gallois toured the Al Ain facility, which has now become the sole manufacturer of flap track fairings for the Airbus A330/340 and is on track to produce other critical parts such as the ailerons and spoilers for the Airbus aircrafts. He met members of the management and operational teams and praised Strata for the rapid progress it has made, having delivered its first products in September 2010, just twelve months after the plant construction commenced.

During the visit, Gallois also met more than 80 UAE nationals currently undergoing a customized training program for Strata. He highlighted the fact that Strata has one of the most modern and technologically advanced composite aerostructures facilities in the world.

“Airbus and the wider EADS family are key partners in Strata’s development as a manufacturing business, particularly as we are now the sole global suppliers of Airbus A330 / A340 flap-track fairings, and I’m extremely proud as the visit of Mr. Gallois signals a step change in the aviation community’s view of Strata as a dynamic and new entrant in the composite aerostructures manufacturing business. Having recently dispatched shipset number thirty, a remarkable achievement in a short space of time, the visit is a clear recognition of the hard work and commitment shown by our entire team,” said Ross Bradley, CEO of Strata.

Homaid Al Shemmari, Chairman of STRATA and Executive Director, Mubadala Aerospace, said that “establishing an aerospace industry in the Emirate is an important part of the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 and I’m delighted that we’re able to attract leading -stakeholders from around the world, like EADS and Mr. Gallois, to Strata”.

“Our partners are critical to supporting our vision of building an integrated knowledge-driven Aerospace hub in Abu Dhabi. It is sustainable businesses such as Strata that are helping to deliver opportunities for skilled UAE nationals, which is at the heart of Mubadala’s mission. Strata’s commitment to developing UAE nationals is illustrated by the fact that Badr Al-Olama, an Emirati national and integral member of the Mubadala Aerospace team, has recently been appointed as the Company’s Deputy CEO.”