Business Leaders Gather For An Aerospace Conference In Oklahoma City

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- An aerospace banker believes old aircraft and advances in technology will create new demand for aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul operations.<br/><br/>William -H- Alderman

Tuesday, May 2nd 2006, 5:46 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- An aerospace banker believes old aircraft and advances in technology will create new demand for aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul operations.

William -H- Alderman of Alderman and Company says the US military and civilian airlines are relying more on private contractors to perform the routine maintenance and technology upgrades on aging aircraft. Those jobs used to be the responsibility of trained servicemen or airline workers.

Alderman -- speaking at Lieutenant Governor Mary Fallin's third annual Oklahoma Aerospace Summit and Expo Monday -- says an exception is American Airlines.

He says American Airlines, which employs 8,000 people at its Maintenance and Engineering Facility in Tulsa, is attempting to become an outsource provider of aircraft maintenance.

Fallin says the two-day conference brought together 1,000 people from 25 states and 107 exhibitors including four from foreign countries.

350 aerospace-related companies employ 140,000 people in Oklahoma.