WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW)—Local leaders are pushing to strengthen the aviation industry and bring new business to Wichita. They’re in Las Vegas at an event that focuses on general aviation business.
Maintaining the air capital presence nationally is why the city has such a turnout for the National Business Aviation Association event every year.
Wichita City Council Member Becky Tuttle shared that the city’s main goal this year is to expand aviation by attracting new companies to town.
“We are the air capital of the world. One of the things that we’re doing while we’re here is trying to recruit new businesses and new industries to come to Wichita, big and small. We need it all for our economy,” says Tuttle.
Council Member Tuttle says she and Sedgwick County Commissioner Pete Meitzner had a productive dinner with a prospective industry about coming to Wichita. Meitzner said they are also meeting with local industry leaders, Bombardier, Textron, and others, to hear what their needs are back home.
“It’s really important that we reconfirm, to our local businesses and our big businesses, that GWP and the government stand with them as we represent the air capital of the world,” said Meitzner.
Jim Hall, the VP for Aviation and Workforce Development at WSU Tech, says he’s attending to make business connections for students.
“We are a major workforce provider for the city, and it is good for prospective customers to understand that we can provide a good and solid workforce for their aviation needs,” said Hall.
The announcement of a new generation of Cessna Citation Light Jets for Textron Aviation and another from Bombardier that is creating the world’s fastest business jet are both signs that Wichita-based leaders agree the air capital is headed in a healthy direction.
A representative from the Classic Lear Jet Foundation says they attended the conference this year for the first time to gain exposure for the Wichita-based Lear restoration projects. That representative said, “This is all positive news.”