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.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Bartender Victoria Kuchenoff laughs with a regular customer, Britt Thomason, at Walk On’s Sports Bistreaux at The Battery in Atlanta on Friday, July 11, 2025. (Abbey Cutrer/AJC)

Credit: abbey.cutrer@ajc.com

Featured

Rebecca Ramage-Tuttle, assistant director of the Statewide Independent Living Council of Georgia, says the the DOE rule change is “a slippery slope” for civil rights. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC