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Gov. Mark Sanford and Commerce Department officials are joining aerospace executives at the Farnborough International Airshow near London today as the first 787 to land on foreign soil touched down Sunday, making a nonstop trip from Seattle to Farnborough, England.
Staff Report
Published July 19, 2010
Gov. Mark Sanford and Commerce Department officials are joining executives from Michelin and Boeing today as the 787 Dreamliner makes its international debut at the Farnborough International Airshow near London.
The first 787 to land on foreign soil touched down Sunday, making a nonstop trip from Seattle to Farnborough, England. The five-day biennial air show is among the largest events in the aerospace industry.
“It’s an honor to showcase the 787 here at the Farnborough Airshow,” said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of the 787 program for Boeing Commercial Airplanes, in a news release. “I can’t think of a finer stage on which to present this highly anticipated airplane.”
Fancher said Boeing took advantage of the first international flight of the Dreamliner to continue its testing of the company’s latest commercial airlines product. The composite aircraft is built in sections in several locations around the globe and then flown to the U.S. for integration and later final assembly. More than half of that integration is done in South Carolina.
Boeing has two plants building and integrating sections of the 787 in North Charleston, and a $750 million second final assembly line is under construction nearby. An interiors plant has also been announced in the region.
Sanford and other S.C. officials, including U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, are attending to promote the state as a vital hub of aerospace industrial activity, the governor’s office said in a statement.
“With the success our state has had over the last year in attracting aerospace investment, I wanted to maximize my time left as governor in working with the Department of Commerce to make this the beginning of a new era in South Carolina’s economic history,” Gov. Sanford said. “What we’re witnessing, I believe, is South Carolina taking the lead in attracting investment in an industry that’s only going to grow in importance around the globe. Indeed, it’s our vision to make our state the international aerospace market’s leading competitor in the Southeastern United States.”
Sanford and the S.C. delegation will be meeting with executives from other companies, some with significant aerospace operations in South Carolina, including BAE Systems, GE Aviation, Nestle and Michelin. The trip will also involve meetings in Vevey, Switzerland, Friedrichshafen, Germany, and Paris.
The airplane Boeing brought to the air show, referred to as ZA003, will depart Tuesday afternoon.
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