Representatives from Daher, Garry Clark (President & CEO, Economic Alliance Snohomish County) and Executive Director, Jason Petrait in front of the Washington State booth at the Farnborough Airshow.
The 2022 Farnborough International Airshow kicked off with the opening of Washington State’s booth, meetings with industry and Boeing order announcements.
As part of the Snohomish County delegation, Center of Excellence Executive Director Jason Petrait met with industry throughout the day, sitting down with Magellan Aerospace, Daher, Senior Aerospace and Eviation to understand their challenges and opportunities for expansion in Snohomish County and across the state.
Industry expressed interest in renewable hydropower, the tax environment in Washington and how college and K-12 programs prepare students for careers in aerospace. Their biggest questions centered around Boeing and conjecture about when and where a new aircraft line would be built.
Hearing from a cross-section of industry partners, it’s clear they are still in recovery mode and only tentatively looking to expand or acquire. As suppliers, much of their work is based on OEMs and macroenvironmental factors.
The record hot weather dominated conversations, with attendees trying to find the coolest spots at the show (Hall 1 and the Space Expo).
The Boeing Company announced two orders on day one, a $13.5 billion order from Delta and an order for 737 Max jets and 777X freights from All Nippon Airways.
Day 2 will see meetings with Ascent Aerospace, MTorres, Umbra and others. Look for more insight in the coming days and pictures and videos of planes as the weather cools down. Questions? Tips on a booth Jason should seek out? Contact jpetrait@everettcc.edu