New York Times says Mobile is in the midst of an 'economic revival'

Fabrice Bregier, Airbus President and CEO, applauds Airbus employees at the grand opening. (Mike Kittrell/Alabama NewsCenter)

MOBILE, Ala. — All over the country, people are taking notice of the high-tech aerospace and automotive companies that are moving to the Yellowhammer State.

“First U.S. Airbus Factory Gives Wings to Mobile’s Economic Revival,” a New York Times headline declared Friday morning.

“When the first convoy of airplane parts snaked through the streets on a sultry June day, it seemed as if Mardi Gras had come early to the Gulf Coast city of Mobile, Ala.”

And a huge celebration it was, complete with a parade, nearly every state leader, and Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson declaring “I think Santa Claus has been here, and he’s left us an airplane.”

Creating 4,000 jobs in a city of around 200,000, Airbus’s arrival is more than just another company deciding to move operations to Alabama, it represents a sea change and other states are beginning to take notice.

Right-to-work, meaning joining the union can’t be a condition of employment, a lower cost of living, and a more business friendly environment have all been cited by Airbus, and other companies as reasons why they relocated to Alabama.

For Airbus, in particular, laws and high cost of living in its home of France have made them less competitive over recent years compared to made in Seattle Boeing 737s.

“We want to be a global actor in the global aerospace market,” said Airbus CEO Fabrice Brégier, adding the Mobile plant “will bring a lot of visibility to the entire Airbus Group, not just in Alabama, but across the U.S.”

An op-ed in one of Washington state’s newspapers attacking Alabama, and its recruitment of Airbus, has raised considerable conversation about why the Southern state was chosen.

Congressman Bradley Byrne (R-AL1) called the column “an insulting attack on the hardworking men and women who make up Alabama’s workforce.”

“If [the author] wants to be taken seriously,” Byrne continued, “he needs to actually come down to Alabama for a little perspective. His column readers would be better served if he were to actually ‘kick the tires’ of the Airbus Final Assembly Line before attacking it.”

Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s director of communications George Talbot echoed the sentiment on Twitter, calling the column “sour grapes.”

Sour grapes from Seattle… https://t.co/qtdFEKiYK2

— George Talbot (@georgetalbot) September 16, 2015

Though Seattle may have Boeing, aerospace engineering is in Alabama’s blood.

As the NYT article highlights, the Airbus facility sits on what was once Brookley Airforce Base, the U.S.’s major Army Air Forces supply base for the southeastern U.S. and the Caribbean during WWII. At its peak, Brookley employed north of 17,000.

From north to south, Alabama has spent the last 60 years building its high tech and aerospace credentials. From the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville taking men to the moon, and soon beyond, to Airbus and Austal in Mobile, and every automotive manufacturer in between, some of the best cities in the nation for engineers are right here.

Yes, NYT, an economic renaissance has arrived in the Heart of Dixie, powered by Alabama grit, hard work, and jet fuel.