Hudson: Suppliers at Paris Air Show 'hungry' for opportunities in Mobile

Mobile County Commissioner Connie Hudson said that while it's too soon for definite announcements, she sees signs at the Paris Air Show that new business is headed for Mobile.

Hudson is part of a southwest Alabama delegation that includes a number of political and economic leaders. Among them are Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson, County Attorney Jay Ross, representatives of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce and Mark McVay, interim executive director of the Mobile Airport Authority.

Hudson said that the fact that Walmart and Amazon have recently announced major developments in Mobile County hasn't seemed to carry much weight at this particular gathering. "Everything here is just so focused on the industry, aviation and aerospace," she said.

But she said that the continued success of Airbus' Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Mobile, where production started last spring and has steadily accelerated toward a target rate of four jetliners per month, has been a subject of keen interest.

"A lot of these suppliers are hungry for the business," she said Tuesday. "They see what's happening in Mobile, they've seen the production ramp up, it's continuing to ramp up, and they know that eventually at some point that there will be expansion. And so they're monitoring that very closely to see what happens. I'm sure that there's great interest in being part of that when it does."

It wasn't immediately clear whether Hudson meant a physical expansion in the Airbus facility or a further increase in the production rate. Company officials haven't announced firm plans for either, but a spokeswoman said Tuesday that the FAL could sustain a future increase to eight jets per month.

"When we met with Airbus this morning, of course, we already have a very close relationship with them, it was a chance not only to nurture that relationship but to let them know that we're hungry for expansion," Hudson said. "We want to continue to work together to take it to the next level."

McVay likewise said that he thinks the ongoing increase in Airbus production could attract new tenants to the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, but also could lead current suppliers to increase their local footprint. That potential made it important for the Mobile Airport Authority to be at the air show.

"We want to try and stay ahead of the curve and have as many companies as possible know about Mobile and what's going on in Mobile," he said. "So that when they are looking at expanding or moving to the U.S. ...we want to be in front of them and in that conversation, and be able to compete with other states."

Hudson said she felt certain that Mobile would benefit from some of the projects discussed in Paris, although she wasn't sure when they would come to fuition. "I don't know that there's any big announcements that are planned," she said, but some of the discussions involved "active projects" that could be revealed sooner rather than later.

She did say that one especially promising development involved a business delegation that could tour Mobile later this year.

"Yesterday morning some of us met with members of the French Embassy trade commission to discuss plans to bring a group of businesses that are involved in aviation and aerospace, potential suppliers, to Mobile to visit," she said. "About 12 to 15 companies is what we've talked about."

"They wanted the opportunity to come and learn more about the area, learn more about not only education, but talk to some of the other suppliers that have already located to the Brookley Aeroplex," Hudson said. "I think that was very promising."

Hudson said the timetable for that visit is "very preliminary" timetable, but it could take place in December.

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