M2C Aerospace, Inc (M2C), a U.S. Aerospace and Defense company that has provided key support to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), was recently hosted by the Minister of Tourism, Civil Aviation, Transportation, and Investment, the Honorable Charles “Max” Fernandez, for strategic planning discussions focused on establishing Antigua and Barbuda as an international destination for advanced aviation technology.

Representing M2C were Ann Dancik, CEO and President, and Captain Elpert Hodge, Executive Vice President, who is a native son of Antigua that began his aviation career locally.

Topics discussed included Antigua and Barbuda hosting an International Commercial Aviation Technology Symposium in the spring of 2027 attended by global and regional airlines, aircraft manufacturers, and aircraft suppliers, and the technology transfer of the Virtual Pilot Assistant (VPA) currently being developed by M2C USA to M2C Antigua.

The VPA is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Automatic Voice Recognition (AVR) piloting information retrieval system that could significantly improve aviation safety and efficiency, particularly for less experienced pilots.

Key local contributors to these planned developments are Makeda Mikael, Antigua Hangars Inc., whose facility could be used to support the Symposium and the planned technology flight demonstrations, and Dr. Curtis Charles, Director Academic Affairs, UWI. The UWI Antigua campus is expected to play a significant role in the initiative.