WICHITA, Kan. – Today, Mayor Bob Knight and the four major aviation-manufacturing giants of the world celebrated the announcement that Wichita had won the prestigious “Quality Center Award” from Aviation Week & Space Technology. According to the magazine, this award recognizes “superior quality and management in civil, military and space organizations and facilities, as well as the geographic regions that support their operations.” This is only the second time a city has been named with such an honor. In 1999, Toulouse, France was also awarded with the honor as the home base of Airbus and several space technology centers.
“Few regions of the world have had a greater impact on aerospace than Wichita,” said Kenneth E. Gazzola, Executive Vice President & Publisher of Aviation Week. “It is one of the top breeding grounds for some of the most significant developments in aeronautics.”
The Wichita Aerospace Team was chosen because of quality-related manufacturing initiatives that have helped make the Wichita region and its manufacturers leaders in the aviation and aerospace industry. Combined, Cessna, Raytheon and Bombardier Aerospace’s Learjet division supply 60% of the world’s general aviation and military aircraft. The Boeing Company produces two-thirds of the world’s commercial airliners. Wichita continues quality in military operations as home to McConnell AFB, the 22nd Air Refueling Wing of the Air Mobility Command, 931st Air Refueling Group of the Air Force Reserve and the 184th Bomb Wing of the Kansas Air National Guard. Also, with 25% of Wichita’s population employed in the aviation cluster, the City is known for its skilled workforce and one of the most advanced education programs in the nation to supply the proper training.
“We are pleased that Wichita has received such a prestigious honor,” said Mayor Bob Knight. “This once again confirms our City’s status as the Air Capital of the World. Wichita’s aviation cluster is a key element of this City’s entrepreneurial spirit and innovative practices. This is something for our entire citizenry to be proud of.”
The Wichita Aerospace Team – represented by the Mayor of Wichita and executives of Boeing Wichita, Cessna, Raytheon Aircraft, Bombardier/Learjet and– will be recognized in an upcoming awards ceremony at Aviation Week’s Aerospace Expo conference in California on October 16 & 17. The City’s accomplishments will also be highlighted in a special August 20 market supplement that will reach more than 1.1 million aerospace professionals via publication in Aviation Week & Space Technology magazine and posted on the City’s website at www.wichita.gov and the magazine’s website at www.aviationnow.com. Plans are underway to celebrate this honor in Wichita at the same time that the City will be celebrated in California.
Aviation Week, a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies, is the world’s premier multimedia information and service provider to the aviation and aerospace market. The cornerstone of the Aviation Week portfolio is Aviation Week & Space Technology, the world’s leading aviation and aerospace industry magazine, covering technology, business and operations in the commercial, military and space markets for more than 104,000 paid subscribers and 375,000 readers in 130 countries.