Members of The Aerospace Alliance include business leaders, economic development professionals, and government officials who will help promote the region’s assets to the aerospace industry. Members will advocate for policies, programs, and specific aerospace projects on the local, state, and national levels. Participating states and organizations hope to aid this sector’s growth, thereby attracting more jobs and suppliers to the region.

The Alliance’s primary objective will be securing the KC-45 aerial tanker program for the Gulf Coast area, but the organization said it will not focus exclusively on this project. “This alliance will go far in promoting our region for what it is—one of the largest aerospace corridors in the world and a great place for companies in this sector to do business,” Governor Barbour stated.

Further efforts to prop up the ailing airline industry in the U.S. included a recent announcement by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. He revealed the formation of a “special panel” to examine the struggling industry, which is currently losing billions of dollars, along with thousands of jobs. LaHood promised the panel would produce a report providing “a roadmap for the future of the aviation industry,” including a new air traffic control system, known as “NexGen,” based on GPS technology rather than radar.