Economy

Rouen, France – On February 12, 2026, the Aero Excellence initiative, spearheaded by the Groupement des industries françaises aéronautiques et spatiales (GIFAS) and major contracting parties, was formally announced in Rouen. The program aims to standardize operational excellence across the French aerospace, space, and defense industries.

The Aero Excellence label operates as a self-assessment of a company’s industrial maturity, followed by an audit process leading to Bronze, Silver, or Gold level certification. According to GIFAS, a key objective for 2026-2027 is to increase the number of participating subcontractors to bolster the resilience of supply chains.

As of December 2025, 450 sites globally were engaged in the Aero Excellence program, with 240 located in France. Approximately 40 percent of these sites had undergone evaluation, and 30 percent had achieved the Bronze level designation.

Safran Nacelles, based in Gonfreville-l’Orcher, became the first French site to be awarded the Silver label. DEMGY Normandie, an intermediate-sized enterprise, has received the Bronze label. DEMGY Normandie, formerly DEDIENNE MULTIPLASTURGY®, is a European leader in the implementation of High Performance Polymers and has been awarded the AeroExcellence™ bronze label.

Following the lead of Safran Nacelles and DEMGY Normandie, NAE (Nouvelle Aquitaine Aerospace) is implementing a support plan for its members, aiming to accelerate their engagement with the Aero Excellence initiative and the certification of its seven already-registered sites.

The support program, facilitated by the Space Aero association, is financed by the Normandy Region, up to the limit of available funds, and will span three days. Evaluations will focus on areas including human resource management, planning, supplier performance, quality control, cybersecurity, and environmental impact.

In 2025, three training sessions were held in Normandy. The program is scheduled to expand in 2026 with the integration of GIFAS’s Form’Action program and fresh modules dedicated to supplier performance and product quality. A “Tour de France” of the Form’Action Aero Excellence training program is scheduled to capture place in Rouen on March 12, 2026, and in Aix-en-Provence on April 9, 2026.

Concerns surrounding artificial intelligence triggered volatility in financial markets over the past two weeks, culminating in a collective loss of over $1 trillion in market capitalization among major technology companies. The sell-off, impacting sectors from real estate to logistics, stemmed from anxieties about the potential for AI to disrupt established industries and doubts regarding the immediate returns on the billions of dollars tech giants are investing in the technology.

The downturn has seen significant declines in the share prices of numerous companies, as investors reassess the near-term profitability of AI initiatives. Microsoft, Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Amazon, and Meta Platforms have been at the forefront of this investment, leading to scrutiny over whether these substantial expenditures will translate into tangible gains.

Julia Wang, Nomura International Wealth Management’s Head of North Asia Investment, articulated the investor dilemma to Bloomberg Television, stating the inherent contradiction in current market sentiment. “These two things can’t be true at the same time,” she said, referring to the simultaneous belief in AI’s transformative potential and skepticism about its immediate financial benefits.

Anthony Saglimbene, Chief Strategist at Ameriprise Advisor Services, echoed this sentiment, describing the situation as a “lose-lose” scenario. “Investors want to know now, or faster, when the return is going to come, but there’s no clear picture on that,” he stated. Saglimbene predicted a period of continued volatility, suggesting that the market will eventually recognize AI’s potential as a profit-driving tool once it becomes clear that companies leveraging the technology will not necessarily fail. “The market will finally understand that these companies aren’t going to travel bankrupt, that AI is a tool that can lead to more profitability, and that companies using it will win,” he said.

Bobby Ocampo, Founding and Managing Partner of Blueprint Equity, cautioned against an overreaction, noting that the recent enthusiasm for AI had subsided, leading to “irrational” behavior. “People are acting as if AI is a drag on the economy now, just because the excitement of the last couple of years has waned,” he explained. However, Ocampo acknowledged the legitimacy of underlying concerns, adding that many companies prioritizing AI are operating in a highly competitive landscape. “A lot of companies that are front and center on AI are operating very aggressively, but Here’s still a land grab. People are starting to realize that these companies aren’t expected to be super efficient or profitable in the near term.”

Recent announcements from Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta Platforms regarding increased AI spending have drawn attention, with some analysts comparing the scale of investment to the railroad boom of the 1850s. The Motley Fool reported on the positive implications of these investments for Nvidia, a key supplier of AI-related hardware. However, the immediate market reaction has been tempered by the uncertainty surrounding the timeline for realizing returns on these investments.

Zacks Investment Research highlighted Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Amazon as companies with significant AI initiatives, but the broader market remains cautious. The lack of a clear path to profitability continues to weigh on investor sentiment, contributing to the ongoing volatility.