WA delegation jets off to UK airshow, hoping new deals will take flight

As the state wrestles with a cash-squeezed budget, Washington’s Department of Commerce is deploying staff and a state lawmaker to one of the world’s biggest air shows in hopes it will deliver rewards for the local aerospace industry.

A 55-person delegation of aerospace suppliers, business leaders and workforce development officials will attend the Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom. The event starts Monday, runs five days, and is the second-largest expo of its kind after the Paris Air Show.

Sarah Clifthorne, interim director of the Department of Commerce, and Amanda Fisher, director of international relations and protocol for Gov. Bob Ferguson, are leading the group. U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., state Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, and representatives of 18 companies are also in the delegation.

The state is pencilling in $275,000 for this trip. Of the total, $110,000 will come from the agency budget, with the remainder covered with federal and private funds, according to the department. The state is not covering expenses for the congressman and private sector participants, an agency spokesperson said.

Of the state’s portion, $45,000 is allotted for airfare and hotel costs for eight Commerce officials and Liias. Exhibitor space and other trade show fees are $65,000, which includes the air show plus a three-day trade event taking place this week that Liias, Clifthorne and Fisher are attending. 

This is not a huge expense. But it comes as Ferguson has told agency leaders to buckle down on nonessential spending as the state faces a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall for a third consecutive year.

Washington will have a booth at the event where Commerce staff and Liias plan to be busy promoting the state’s robust aerospace supply chain to an international audience, hoping to expand transatlantic collaboration, trade and investment.

“It is a time of heavy recruiting, talking to people face-to-face,” said Liias, whose legislative district is home to a Boeing manufacturing facility, and who has gone to the Paris show too. “This is one of those places where we do get companies to come here.”

Since 2014, leaders of more than 104 Washington businesses have attended the Farnborough air show and it’s led to nearly $63 million in export sales, Commerce officials said.

Clifthorne invited Liias.

“Sen. Liias works on policy issues that directly affect Washington’s aerospace industry, including aviation and freight,” Clifthorne said in a statement. “The attendance by a senior legislator reflects the state’s support for businesses in the aviation and aerospace sector.”

Showing up is critical to ensure that Washington remains competitive and visible alongside the 16 other states participating in the airshow, said Amelia Lamb, media relations manager with Commerce. 

Washington’s presence next week will be in line with two years ago, when Lt. Gov. Denny Heck and then-state Sen. Andy Billig of Spokane led a delegation with roughly the same number of businesses and more officials from economic development organizations.

That came months after then-Gov. Jay Inslee and Larsen led a 100-person delegation to the 2023 Paris Air Show.

There, Inslee hosted a discussion on sustainable aviation fuel and hydrogen-powered flight with industry representatives, environmental advocates and regulators. He announced Twelve, a California-based firm, planned to construct its first commercial-scale production facility in Moses Lake, where it would make jet fuel from electricity, water and air. It opened last month.

Ferguson, who attended that ribbon-cutting, isn’t going to next week’s air show and did not respond to requests for comment for this story. Governors of nine other states are expected.

Meanwhile, the UK Department for Business and Trade is organizing this week’s mini trade mission. It’s a product of a longstanding agreement between Washington and the United Kingdom aimed at bolstering cultural and economic ties.

Liias, Clifthorne and Fisher will be among those visiting several sites, including Rolls-Royce’s engine factory in Derby, the National Composites Centre and Airbus UK facilities in Bristol and the Harwell Campus Space Cluster in Oxfordshire.

Following the Farnborough show, members of the delegation will spend Friday visiting aerospace businesses, including Honeywell Aerospace, Curtiss-Wright, and Gama Aviation.

Meanwhile, the Boeing Co., the state’s and nation’s top airplane maker, is not part of the official state delegation. It will be a dominant participant at the air show. Among its many exhibits will be a full-size interior section of the 777X, a plane manufactured in Everett.