Think of Mobile, and you might picture the bay, the port, and the white-sand beaches just down the coast. But the area is also home to factories that turn out passenger jets and aircraft engines, and a shipyard that builds vessels for the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard.
That side of coastal Alabama will be in the spotlight May 25–27, 2027, when the city hosts the first Gulf Coast Aerospace & Defense Summit. The Mobile aerospace and defense summit will give Alabama suppliers a chance to meet industry buyers.
The summit at the Mobile Convention Center will center on scheduled meetings that give Alabama companies a chance to make new industry contacts. Businesses that make aircraft parts or offer services such as precision machining can speak directly with buyers and learn what they’re looking for in a supplier.
The summit is geared toward aircraft manufacturers and defense contractors, as well as parts suppliers, engineering firms and companies that maintain and repair aircraft. The city expects the event to draw industry representatives from across the United States and abroad.
Airbus assembles passenger jets in Mobile, where Continental Aerospace Technologies also makes piston aircraft engines and Austal USA builds ships for the Navy and Coast Guard. In neighboring Baldwin County, Collins Aerospace, part of RTX, assembles components for jet engine housings at its Foley plant.
“Mobile is where aerospace is built on the Gulf Coast, and the Gulf Coast Aerospace & Defense Summit puts that story on a global stage,” Mobile Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis said. “This event will bring decision-makers to our city, open doors for local suppliers and workers, and show the world why Mobile is the right place to grow an aerospace and defense business.”
Advanced Business Events is organizing the summit, with Airbus as a platinum sponsor. The three-day event will also include an exhibition, networking opportunities and conference sessions on aerospace and defense manufacturing and supply chains.
The city says registration is open for attendees and exhibitors through the summit website.
Sherri Blevins is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You may contact her at [email protected].
