Boeing is considering building a new aircraft, called the New Mid-Market Airplane (NMA). If they go forward with this idea, they will need to decide where the design and production of the plane will land. Washington State is a leader in the aerospace industry, but we are competing with other states to show Boeing the advantages of staying close to home.
To encourage Boeing to invest in Washington, the Choose Washington New Mid-Market Airplane Council was formed. Robin Toth, Director of Business Development, serves on the Council, along with others from across the state. The Council’s focus is to show how important the aerospace industry is to the state, identify advantages to help secure the NMA, and continue to strengthen the aerospace industry across the state.
In a recent Aerospace Competitive Economics Study by the Council, cost, labor and education, incentives, infrastructure and other factors were examined across the 50 states to find the most competitive states in the aerospace industry. Washington outranked every other state overall, proving our state’s competitiveness and showing Boeing that it makes sense to design and build this new aircraft here. Council members also conducted other research in Spokane earlier this year, talking to students and instructors at local colleges about the training programs available related to this industry.
Boeing won’t make a decision until later this year or in 2019, but even if Boeing decides to build the NMA on the west side of the state, Spokane will still benefit. Spokane already provides a lot of manufacturing support to the industry and this new project could create more jobs and more benefits to our community.
The overall purpose of this project is economic development, and its effects are more far reaching than Boeing and the NMA. Being involved with the Council highlights our competitiveness in the aerospace industry to Boeing, but also to the larger aerospace industry. We are showcasing to similar original equipment manufacturers and suppliers the benefits of locating in Spokane while at the same time discovering ways to improve the business climate for companies that are already here. It is important for Eastern Washington to remain competitive and continue to lead in this industry.
