With a rich history deeply rooted in aviation innovation and production, the bi-state St. Louis region is home to five airports that are driving the region’s economy and global aerospace manufacturing and service companies, making it one of the top Aerospace and Aviation Ecosystems in the nation.
This vibrant sector of the region’s economy is a magnet for continued investments, with an estimated $5 billion being invested in recently completed projects and those to be delivered over the next five to 10 years by the airports and their major tenants. Those investments will create additional job opportunities in our region as demand grows for construction workers to deliver the new facilities; skilled tradesmen to help build, maintain and repair aircraft and their components; airport operations personnel; and the many positions in other industries impacted by the ripple effects of this growth.
Noteworthy Metrics
- 49 aerospace manufacturing businesses* that combined account for more than 17,700 employees (NAICS 3364: Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing).
- Aerospace manufacturing employees make an average annual salary of $137,848.
- Regional employment in aerospace manufacturing grew by more than 1,800 jobs—or 11.9%—in the last 10 years. This represents a growth rate 10-times faster than the national growth rate of only 1.1% since 2019
- Boeing Aerospace Company, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. and West Star Aviation are expanding in the region, adding almost 1,000 new jobs
Source: JobsEQ®, https://www.chmuraecon.com/jobseq; DatabaseUSA (2023)
Collaborating for Growth
The unique collaboration that exists between the airports in the region and the aerospace companies operating here will be instrumental in building upon the existing workforce to ensure the region has the available talent pool required for continued growth.
The St. Louis Regional Freightway has convened these stakeholders, along with representatives of many educational institutions and workforce development groups in the bi-state area, to launch a new taskforce that will support the expansion of the talent pipeline.
The purpose of the St. Louis Regional Aerospace Manufacturing and Aviation Taskforce is to provide a platform for bi-state leaders to share industry related information, programs and events that could help connect, promote and elevate the continued growth of the aerospace manufacturing and service and aviation industries.
These industry leaders are working collectively to streamline the process, so others in the aerospace and aviation industry can easily expand or locate in the bi-state St. Louis region and so individuals interested in becoming part of this robust ecosystem can navigate their way into a lifetime career.
L to R – Brian Bauwens, General Manager – East Alton Site & St. Louis Downtown Airport Site, West Star Aviation; Tony Ray, Vice President and General Manager, St. Louis Completions, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.; Jason Noll, Director of Sales & Marketing, AVMATS; Randell Gelzer, Senior Director, Government Operations, The Boeing Company; Mary Lamie, Executive Vice President, Multimodal Enterprises at Bi-State Development; John Bales, Director of Spirit of St. Louis Airport; Rhonda Hamm-Niebruegge, Director of St. Louis Lambert International Airport; Daniel Adams, Director of St. Louis Regional Airport; Darren James, Interim Director of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, and Sandra Shore, Director of St. Louis Downtown Airport.
Take Flight Forum
Each year, The Freightway hosts the Take Flight Forum, bringing together regional airport directors and aviation leaders to highlight the economic impact the industry delivers to the bi-state area, and explore the new innovations and investments that are strengthening our position in the aerospace sector.
At the 2024 Take Flight Forum, The Freightway welcomed Tony Ray (Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.), Brian Bauwens (West Star Aviation), and Sean Guess (STLCC Boeing Pre-Employment Training Program) to discuss the workforce investments and resources that are preparing the region for growth in aerospace. They were joined by current students and recent graduates of these programs that are helping support nearly 1,000 new industry jobs in the bi-state area over the next few years.
Listen to the discussion on YouTube, or click on any of the clips below to hear quotes from the forum.
2024 Take Flight Forum Program:
2023 Take Flight Forum Program:
Featured Videos
At the end of the day, with all the talent and the workforce here in the local area, I think we can consider St. Louis to be an aviation mecca. The access to talent, the relationships, it all just plays a part.