The creation of Critical FlyTech, the new joint venture between the Portuguese Critical Software and the giant Airbus, is one of these news stories. Not only because of the size of the project, but because of what it represents for the country, for our technology industry and for Portugal's place in global value chains.

Critical FlyTech was born with a very clear mission. Develop remarkably high-reliability aerospace software for aviation, space, and defense. It will start operating at the beginning of next year with 120 specialists and intends to reach 300 by 2028. This growth, in itself, is already impressive. But what really matters is what this symbolizes for Portugal. We are talking about top engineering, certified to the most demanding standards in the world, applied to mission-critical systems where there is no margin for error.

This new company combines the consolidated experience of Critical Software, one of the largest national references in software engineering, with the global and industrial scale of Airbus, which already employs more than a thousand people in Portugal. It is not every day that we see a multinational of this caliber choose our country to strengthen strategic capabilities. And that says a lot about the path we have taken.

Portugal has talent. He has technical competence. It has stability. He has a business vision. And, increasingly, it has a technological ecosystem capable of generating solutions that compete with the best in the world. This project is proof of that.

Critical FlyTech will work in areas as diverse as avionics systems, cabin systems, and connectivity solutions. But most of all, you will be developing software that needs to be absolutely perfect. Software that ensures safety, certification, reliability, and mission planning. Software that cannot fail because lives depend on it. To enter this level of demand is to enter the core of aerospace innovation.

For Portugal, this represents much more than new qualified jobs. It represents moving up the value chain. It means moving from being just a supplier to being a co-creator. It represents consolidating the country as a strategic partner in one of the most complex, innovative, and technological sectors of the global economy.

And it also represents a powerful message for the future. Portuguese engineering is not condemned to be peripheral. On the contrary, it is becoming central in transformative projects, in line with trends such as digitalization, operational safety, connectivity and the new generation of aerospace platforms.

What excites me about this announcement is the feeling that we are witnessing a new chapter in the Portuguese technology industry. Critical FlyTech is more than a company. It is a sign. A sign of maturity, international recognition and that Portugal is ready to integrate, in a stable and lasting way, the restricted circle of nations that produce critical technology for the future of aviation and space.

This is the kind of news that shows that we have come further than we imagined. And that, after all, the sky is not the limit. It's just the next challenge.