Washington state is sending a 55-person aerospace delegation to the Farnborough International Airshow in England, pitching the Everett-anchored supply chain to international buyers less than two weeks after Boeing's $1 billion North Line began assembling 737 MAX jets on the same campus.

The delegation, which departs ahead of the airshow's Monday, July 21, opening, includes state Sen. Marko Liias, D-Edmonds, whose 21st Legislative District covers the Boeing Everett plant. U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., representatives of 18 companies, and workforce development officials round out the group, according to the Washington State Standard.

Sarah Clifthorne, interim director of the Washington State Department of Commerce, and Amanda Fisher, Gov. Bob Ferguson's director of international relations, are leading the trip.

The Everett connection

Liias told the Washington State Standard the trip is about face-to-face recruiting. "It is a time of heavy recruiting, talking to people face-to-face," Liias said. "This is one of those places where we do get companies to come here."

The delegation departs with fresh talking points. Boeing's North Line became operational Monday, July 6, when workers loaded the first 737 MAX 10 fuselage onto the production line.

A ribbon-cutting followed Friday, July 10, with Everett Mayor Cassie Franklin and hundreds of Boeing employees on hand. The $1 billion facility has 10 production stations, roughly 20% more floor space than Boeing's entire Renton site according to FlightGlobal, and approximately 1,000 workers already on staff.

The Economic Alliance Snohomish County said after the opening that the North Line creates opportunities for hundreds of local aerospace suppliers, machine shops, logistics firms, and engineering companies throughout the county.

At Farnborough, Boeing will showcase a full-size 777X cabin section. The 777X widebody is being assembled in Everett.

Budget

The state is budgeting $275,000 for the trip. Of that, $110,000 comes from the Commerce agency budget. The rest is covered by federal and private funds. The state is not paying for Larsen's or private-sector participants' expenses.

Of the state's share, $45,000 covers airfare and hotels for eight Commerce officials and Liias. Another $65,000 pays for exhibitor space and trade show fees.

The spending comes as Washington faces a projected budget shortfall of nearly $500 million in the next fiscal year, according to a June 26 state revenue report. Gov. Ferguson has directed agencies to preserve core services without raising taxes.

Since 2014, more than 104 Washington businesses have attended Farnborough, generating what Commerce estimates at nearly $63 million in cumulative export sales over that span.

What's next

Before the airshow opens, Liias, Clifthorne, and Fisher are visiting 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 as part of a UK-organized trade mission.

The airshow runs Monday, July 21, through Friday, July 25.

After it closes, delegation members plan to visit Honeywell Aerospace, Curtiss-Wright, and Gama Aviation facilities.

Boeing and the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace began formal contract talks June 30, with the current agreement expiring in October. A labor disruption could affect the production timelines the delegation is pitching overseas; Boeing's two previous major contract rounds both ended in extended strikes.