Story ID: 
Falcon Jet Commits to Arkansas Expansion
By: Gregory Polek
Caption: Company cites strong state support and supply of workers as factors in its decision to expand
Word Count: 325
Dassault Falcon Jet plans to expand its presence in Little Rock, Arkansas, to support the development and delivery of its new Falcon 6X business jet and future Falcon programs. The decision comes after a meeting at the Paris Airshow this past summer between Dassault executives and Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, whose delegation offered what Dassault called “strong support” for the expansion project.
Apart from state incentives, the company said it chose Little Rock for the completion center expansion based on the availability of skilled workers and its presence at existing facilities.
“Our expected demand for new Falcons—such as our Falcon 6X which has just entered service—required that we evaluate our production needs including our completion capacity,” said Éric Trappier, chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation. “The State of Arkansas has always been a vital part of our success in Little Rock and we appreciate the leadership of Governor Huckabee Sanders as we build a bigger presence.”
For her part, Sanders pointed to plans to add 800 jobs as more evidence of the state’s status as an aerospace “powerhouse.”
“I’m grateful to Dassault’s leadership for doubling down on their investment in central Arkansas and will keep cutting taxes, growing our workforce, and improving our schools to help Arkansas’ aerospace industry continue to expand,” she said.
Dassault Falcon Jet employs approximately 1,400 workers across two facilities in Little Rock.
The company has operated in Arkansas since 1975, when it opened its aircraft completion facility there. The company also operates its service center, dedicated to Falcon customers, in Little Rock.
Dassault Falcon Jet has made multiple investments in its Little Rock facility in recent years. In 2015, the company invested $60 million to expand the completion center, adding 350,000 square feet of production space. In 2008, the company invested $20 million to add four paint bays along with new production, design, and warehouse space.