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Connecticut companies both large and small are doing business at the prestigious Paris Air Show this week, the world’s largest gathering of aerospace companies. WNPR’s Harriet Jones reports.
The air show is now in its second day and already $20 billion worth of deals have been announced. It’s an important showcase for Connecticut’s big aerospace players, United Technologies and General Electric. With rising oil prices this year, there’s been a big emphasis on fuel efficiency and green technology – good news for Pratt & Whitney’s new PurePower geared turbofan engine. Pratt & Whitney’s Bob Saia.
“We have actual hardware here or some videos of test results that we’ve recently demonstrated in our laboratories in Connecticut, to give both airlines as well as the airplane manufacturers an update of the success that we’ve had in developing the technology and now bringing that technology to a production product.”
Smaller aerospace companies from the Nutmeg state have also made it across to Europe this week. Engine component maker Connecticut Spring and Stamping, based in Farmington is at the show for the first time. The company’s Steve Dicke says it’s a great opportunity.
“This is for everyone involved in aerospace, the show to be at. Really the hopes are just to gain new business or get a foothold on new products developing on some of the new engine platforms, and also for some of the customers that we really don’t see here in the US.”
Some 2,000 companies from all over the world will show their wares in Paris - the air show runs through the end of this week.
For WNPR, I'm Harriet Jones.