European airplane maker Airbus Monday announced plans to double investments in the US at the first Air Capital Supplier Summit in Wichita.
Senator Jerry Moran and Airbus Americas Chairman Allan McArtor hosted the event.
Moran says the partnership between Airbus and Kansas suppliers is aimed at growing the aviation industry in the state through more contracts with the France-based aircraft maker.
Airbus has an engineering center here in Wichita with more than 350 employees, making the Wichita facility the company’s largest engineering center outside of Europe.
McArtor says Airbus’ plans will double it’s American investment and improve it’s presence in states like Kansas.
“We spend over $12 billion in the US last year and as the senator said our mandate is to double that of dollars on suppliers of which he and I want Kansas to have a part of that,” he says.
McArtor says 40 percent of what the company uses in it’s planes come from the US. Airbus already contracts with Kansas companies including Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita and Alcoa in Hutchinson.
Senator Moran says the summit is a significant attempt to increase the economic opportunity for Kansas companies, “to make certain that they are in the supply chain of Airbus and to help Airbus find the quality suppliers that we have to offer.”
Moran says a second summit will be planned for Kansas.
Organizers say demand was great and registration for the supplier summit filled up within 5 days of the event’s announcement.
