Chamber officials scouting Airbus suppliers, success stories at Berlin air show

By Kelli Dugan, Press-Register

BERLIN, Germany - Troy Wayman knew Mobile had truly arrived at the ILA Berlin Air Show when a random German aerospace vendor made the instantaneous connection between the port city and her ambassador's trek halfway around the world.

Wayman, vice president of economic development for the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, said when he and the chamber's economic development director, Claudia Zimmermann, told the man they were from Mobile, he instantly smiled and said, "Ah, Airbus. You have a lot of nice things happening. It must be great."

What's great, Wayman told the Press-Register by phone Wednesday, is that the international business community is already associating Airbus with Mobile. The European planemaker unveiled plans July 2 to construct a $600 million aircraft assembly plant at Brookley Aeroplex that's expected to create more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs when the first planes are delivered in 2016. More here.