German Aerospace Industry Association (BDLI)

What German Aerospace Industry Association (BDLI) does

BDLI (Bundesverband der Deutschen Luft- und Raumfahrtindustrie e.V.), founded in 1955 and headquartered at Friedrichstraße 60 in Berlin, is the federal trade association of the German aerospace industry. It represents companies of all sizes and segments — engineering service providers, mid-sized suppliers, and global system manufacturers such as Airbus, OHB, and MTU — across civil aviation, defense and security, space, equipment and materials, and cross-cutting topics including digitalization, cybersecurity, and unmanned systems. The association does not develop proprietary technology; its core function is coordinated industry representation, policy advocacy toward the Bundestag and federal ministries (notably the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action), and stakeholder engagement with EU institutions and international partners. BDLI is governed by a board and executive committee, with Marie-Christine von Hahn serving as Chief Executive Officer and Michael Schöllhorn as President.

Name

German Aerospace Industry Association (BDLI)

Legal name

Bundesverband der Deutschen Luft- und Raumfahrtindustrie e.V.

Website

https://bdli.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The German Aerospace Industry Association (BDLI) is a Berlin-based trade association representing companies of all sizes across Germany's aerospace sector, providing policy advocacy, organizing the ILA Berlin trade fair, and running supply chain, education, and sustainability programs for its members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: BDLI generates revenue through membership fees from aerospace industry companies. The association represents companies of all sizes including engineering service providers, mid-sized suppliers, and global system manufacturers.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

BDLI is a registered industry trade association (eingetragener Verein) representing companies across the German aerospace industry, including civil aviation, defense, space, and equipment & materials sectors. Its core offerings include industry representation and policy advocacy before government bodies, organization of the ILA Berlin aerospace trade fair, the Aero Excellence supply chain assessment program, publication of industry data and position papers, and educational initiatives promoting aerospace careers.

Product overview

BDLI (Bundesverband der Deutschen Luft- und Raumfahrtindustrie e.V.) is the German Aerospace Industries Association - an industry body representing companies of all sizes and segments of the German aerospace industry. Rather than offering a unified software product, BDLI provides a portfolio of member services including the organization of ILA Berlin as a premier aerospace exhibition, the Aero Excellence supply chain quality programme, various publications and position papers on aerospace policy, and educational initiatives like MINT Zukunft schaffen and Zukunftsflieger. BDLI also conducts campaigns such as Luft- und Raumfahrtrepublik Deutschland to promote German aerospace regionally, and Take-Off To Zero for climate-neutral aviation advocacy. The association serves as a unified voice for the industry rather than operating as a product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ILA Berlin
• Aero Excellence
• BDLI Publications
• BDLI Industry Association Membership
• Luft- und Raumfahrtrepublik Deutschland
• Take-Off To Zero

Quantifiable outcome

• German aerospace industry reached €62 billion in revenue and 120,000 employees in 2025/2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• UAV Dach e.V.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 September 2025BDLI collaborated with UAV Dach e.V. (the German unmanned aerial vehicle association) to develop the 5-point plan for comprehensive drone defence, addressing the growing drone threat for Germany and Europe.
• Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBDLI works closely with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action on trade fair organization and industry support programs. The ministry funds German pavilions at international aerospace events.
• International Astronautical Federation (IAF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBDLI partners with the IAF for the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), organizing German industry participation at this premier global space event.
• ILA BerlincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBDLI is a key organizer of ILA Berlin, one of the world's oldest and most prestigious aerospace exhibitions. The association coordinates industry participation and develops the political forum aspect of the event.
• Aero Excellence InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBDLI supports the Aero Excellence program aimed at boosting aerospace supply chain maturity. The program has completed 222 assessments with 2 Silver and 78 Bronze awards, involving over 900 assessors from 25 OEMs.
• MINT Zukunft schaffenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBDLI partners with the MINT (STEM) Zukunft schaffen initiative to promote careers in aerospace among young people and address workforce challenges.
• Take-Off To ZerominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBDLI participates in the Take-Off To Zero campaign focused on climate-neutral aviation, aligning with sustainability goals of the European Green Deal.
• ZukunftsfliegerminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZukunftsflieger is one of Germany's largest STEM education initiatives for elementary schools, supported by BDLI to promote early interest in aerospace careers.
• SkyfutureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBDLI supports Skyfuture, an initiative promoting aerospace careers and education in Germany.
• Medienpreis Luft- und RaumfahrtminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBDLI co-organizes the Medienpreis Luft- und Raumfahrt (Media Award for Aerospace), recognizing excellence in aerospace journalism.
• Berlin Aviation SummitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBDLI supports the Berlin Aviation Summit (BAS), bringing together ~400 international decision-makers to discuss aviation sustainability and innovation ahead of ILA Berlin.
• Aviation Forum MunichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBDLI supports the Aviation Forum Munich, an annual industry conference under Airbus patronage with over 900 participants and 130+ exhibitors from the aviation sector.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ASD (AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe): ASD is the European-level aerospace and defense industry association representing manufacturers across Europe. It is the most direct peer to BDLI as BDLI is a national member of ASD and serves the equivalent industry representation function at the EU level.
• ADS Group: ADS Group is the UK trade association for aerospace, defence, security, and space companies. It is the British functional equivalent to BDLI, with comparable member representation, policy advocacy, and supply chain program offerings.
• AIAD (Associazione Italiana Industrie Aerospaziali, Difesa e Sicurezza): AIAD is the Italian aerospace, defense, and security industry association, structurally mirroring BDLI's national industry representation role. It is one of the key European counterparts and co-participant in ASD at the European level.
• Aerospace Industries Association (AIA): AIA is the US national aerospace and defense industry trade association, serving as the American counterpart to BDLI. Both organizations advocate on behalf of manufacturers with their respective national governments and publish industry data on workforce, revenue, and export performance.
• Spanish Association of Defence, Security, Aeronautics and Space Technology (TEDAE): TEDAE is the Spanish aerospace and defense industry trade association. It plays the same national industry representation role for Spain as BDLI does for Germany and participates alongside BDLI in ASD and major European trade fair coordination.
• GIFAS (Groupement des Industries Françaises Aéronautiques et Spatiales): GIFAS is the French aerospace and defense industry association, structurally identical to BDLI in mandate and operating model. Both organizations represent national aerospace primes and suppliers and co-organize their country's pavilion at the Paris Air Show.

Others

• DLR (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt): DLR is the German national aeronautics and space research center. While not a trade association, DLR works in close proximity to BDLI on German aerospace policy, R&D priorities, and space program coordination, making it a thematic peer for industry-policy alignment.
• UAV Dach e.V. UAV Dach is the German unmanned aerial vehicle industry association and a recent BDLI collaboration partner (joint 5-point plan on drone defence). It serves as an adjacent industry-association peer with overlapping but narrower focus on the drone segment of aerospace.
• BDI (Bundesverband der Deutschen Industrie): BDI is the German Federation of Industries, the umbrella federation of German industry associations including BDLI. As BDLI's parent federation, BDI is a comparable but broader peer for cross-industry policy advocacy and government relations.

Regional players

• Turkish Aerospace Industries Association (TUSAŞ / TAI-related ecosystem): Tai is Turkey's leading aerospace manufacturer and a member of Turkish industry associations representing the national aerospace sector. It serves as a relevant regional comparable for BDLI's role in coordinating national aerospace industry representation, though primarily Turkey-focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/bdlipresse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bdli-bundesverband-der-deutschen-luft--und-raumfahrtindustrie-e-v-
• Instagraminstagram.com/bdli_de

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about German Aerospace Industry Association (BDLI)