Seventeen B.C. companies and two regional airports will seek new business opportunities this week at an annual aerospace conference held just outside of Seattle.
B.C.'s U.S. trade an investment representative, Rick Stolle, will lead the B.C. delegation at this year's Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance conference in Lynnwood, Washington. The conference runs today through Thursday, February 14.
The B.C. government is touting the B.C. aerospace cluster as being "ideally located to take advantage of projected growth in worldwide airplane sales and in increased air traffic between North America and the Asia Pacific."
"The province is in close proximity to Boeing's final assembly and integration production lines in the Seattle area and, as international carriers increase the number of flights to B.C. airports, there will be additional opportunities to grow B.C.'s aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul sector," the government said in a statement.
Jobs Minister Pat Bell called B.C. a "leader in the aerospace industry with a geographic advantage."
"Our province offers the necessary intellectual and natural capital to compete in a 21st- century economy that relies significantly on emerging markets and opportunities," he said.
According to the province, B.C.'s aerospace sector employs approximately 5,000 people and generates more than $1.2 billion in revenue.
