Perdue sets sights on aerospace industry

By Dan Chapman

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Gov. Sonny Perdue’s Middle Eastern sojourn continues Sunday in Dubai where he hopes to drum up business for Georgia’s aerospace industry.

The Dubai Airshow is the region’s largest. The Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other Middle Eastern governments are expected to buy billions of dollars worth of commercial and military aircraft over the next few years.

Perdue, after visiting Georgia National Guard troops in Iraq, will meet with “companies potentially interested in investing or expanding in Georgia, and will explore trade opportunities for Georgia businesses,” according to a press release issued Thursday.

Nine small- or medium-sized aviation-related companies or organizations have joined Perdue.

More than 80,000 Georgians work in the aviation industry, according to the governor’s office. Boeing, Cessna, Gulfstream Lockheed Martin and other aerospace giants manufacture planes and other aerospace products in Georgia.