PARIS — The rich history of Alabama’s aerospace industry stretches back to when the Wright Brothers established their first civilian flight school in Montgomery in 1910. Alabama later became the cradle of the nation’s fledgling rocket program and spearheaded development of the mighty Saturn V that took American astronauts to the Moon.
But it’s the possibilities of the future — not the milestones of the past — that an Alabama business development team at the 2023 Paris Air Show is concentrating on. The goal is to win new jobs and investment by expanding the industry’s base across the state.
“Alabama has been involved in the aerospace industry at the highest levels for decades,” said Greg Canfield, Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “There’s a sweeping range of industry capabilities within the state, meaning that Alabama workers are involved in just about every activity within aerospace, from design to manufacturing.
“Alabama boasts all the resources that make it the perfect location for aerospace,” he added.

